


The games we play you always win

by SophisticatedFangirling, thesewordscouldburnstars



Category: Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-03-01
Updated: 2013-06-03
Packaged: 2017-12-03 22:58:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 55,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/703604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SophisticatedFangirling/pseuds/SophisticatedFangirling, https://archiveofourown.org/users/thesewordscouldburnstars/pseuds/thesewordscouldburnstars
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Caroline and Klaus find themselves not only stuck in the tomb but also caught in a web of deal-making and breaking. Torn between brutal honesty and manipulation, all is fair and nothing is safe. A story flavoured with the taste of blood and bourbon. Post 4x01. Updated weekly on tuesday.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

 

 

She had just made herself comfortable with a bowl of ice cream and a bag of B positive when Bonnie called. She was exhausted, having already been through enough commotion in one day: being kidnapped by the council, Tyler being alive – fucking _Klaus_ being in his body (she didn't even want to _think_ about the embarrassing situation in the woods – how _could_ he _do this to her_?), watching Klaus/Tyler almost rip out his heart. And while she was glad to have Tyler back again, what had happened in the woods earlier – plus her having to confess it – had kinda pulled the rug out from under her enthusiasm for "hot hybrid sex" for the day. Actually, she had played the whole thing down a little and reduced it to just kissing – she wasn't really that keen on Tyler getting himself killed when she just had him back. She would sure as hell never make the mistake to underestimate the whole werewolf-rage-thingy.

So after their reunion she'd claimed to be tired – which she was – and returned home to have herself a quiet comforting evening with all her heart desired right now: blood, ice cream and a movie.

So she didn't really break out in glee when she heard the buzz of her phone. For a moment she stared at it as if that could make it go away, then she sighed and picked up.

"Make it quick, Bon, because I am really not in the mood for any more drama right now."

"I need your help," Bonnie replied.

Caroline sat up. "My help doing what?"

"I want to trap Klaus in the tomb. After everything that happened today he won't suspect us trying anything. We have to get rid of him for good as long as we have the chance."

"Wait – what? Bonnie, hasn't the spell that kept vampires in there been lifted? You don't have any magic right now, remember?"

"I _do_ very well remember. I also remember that Klaus made me do something today that resulted in my gramps being _tormented by angry spirits for all eternally_. Witches stick together in these matters, Care. I know someone who is willing to do the spell."

"And what do you need me for?"

"I need you to lure him there."

"Bonnie, that's _crazy_! If something goes wrong – and excuse me, something _always_ goes wrong – he's going to _kill_ me! Fuck, he's going to kill all of us. This is a very bad idea."

She heard a sigh on the other side of the line. "If there's anyone he _won't_ kill if something goes wrong, it's you. And I have to make him pay for what he did today. He's not gonna stop, Caroline. If we let him walk free, he's going to continue terrorizing all our lives. He's trying to build an army of hybrids, as if he wasn't the most powerful creature on earth, anyway. His mere existence is against the balance of nature."

Caroline frowned, still not all that happy with the idea. She didn't really know what she was supposed to think, she struggled with conflicting feelings regarding the plan. On the one hand: he deserved it. Bonnie was right, he was a raging psychopath. She could not even begin to estimate how much damage he had done since he arrived in Mystic Falls. Today alone he had sexually assaulted her, almost killed Tyler and hurt Bonnie beyond comprehension. She had already been through far enough. She had already lost her grandmother once; the second time had to be almost unbearable. On the other hand he had saved her today, again, with no ulterior motive – well probably – one couldn't even be sure about that. And the risk involved was also something to consider. Weighing all her options she decided.

"Fine."

"Good, we'll do the spell and I'll call again." With that Bonnie hung up.

Caroline got up, put the ice cream away and got dressed again while suckling on her blood bag.

It had been a long day, but it was not about to end anytime soon.

* * *

By the time Bonnie called Caroline had already looked up the best possible route that led from the Mikaelson mansion to the tomb. She'd put on a dark jeans, a top and a denim jacket as well as some sneakers. Her hair was pulled up into a ponytail; she didn't want it to get in her way while running. "The tomb is spelled. Have you thought of a way to get him there?"

"Uh, I'm not that good of an actress. So I just thought I'd show up at his door, ask for help and run for it. I'm pretty confident he'll take the bait."

"Sounds decent. We'll be waiting by the tomb. I'll have her do a hiding spell so he doesn't sense us."

"Good, I'll be off then."

"Okay. And Caroline – be careful."

First she wanted to give a sneaky retort but then she decided against it. Instead she replied, "See you soon."

Then she hung up, left her house, and took off to the Mikaelson mansion at full vampire speed.

* * *

As she arrived, she was once more intimidated by the mere size of the house. Why did anyone need a house that big? Not that Tyler's house was any better, but it wasn't as if he'd had a _choice_ in that. Klaus, on the other hand, had. She wondered what kind of inferiority complex he tried to compensate for.

_Focus_ , she needed to look really distressed right now. Something bad had happened. How should she do this? Maybe she should, like, think of some terrible memory to draw from. But all the memories she could think of were too painful to be taken into consideration. Maybe she should just draw from her current situation. There sure as hell was enough desperation. She needed to go for it now, to ambush him so he couldn't ask any question. Or he'd notice her standing around, and that might make him suspicious. She rang the doorbell.

In an instant the door opened, she supposed he had sensed her presence or something, because he showed up personally, not sending one of his hybrids.

He stood in the doorway, cocking his head to the side. "Caroline, to what do I owe the pleasure of your company?"

Alright, looking distressed was no problem at all. The whole situation made her more than uncomfortable. "I need your help," she exclaimed, and without hesitating a second she turned on her heels and started running full speed.

She only got as far as a few meters when he caught her by her elbow and turned her around. He appeared worried. "Caroline, what's going on?"

Still looking properly desperate (hell, she _was_ desperate - she was this close to being found out) she replied, "You need to follow me. Klaus, please, it's urgent!"

He released her arm, a frown on his face. The next moment they were running again.

Quickly they arrived at the tomb. She jumped down and then halted and turned around. He landed beside her.

Sounding distraught and out of breath (even though she didn't need to be, just for the sake of dramatics) she gasped, "In here."

She started to run towards the entrance, using vampire speed, praying to god he'd take the bait. He did.

Abruptly she halted just in front of the entrance while he dashed inside. Relief washed over her.

A few steps inside he stopped, too, and turned around. "Caroline?"

She opened her mouth, but she couldn't bring herself to say anything.

Slowly his frown deepened. He walked towards her and hit the invisible wall.

His head darted up, shock crossing his features, followed by realization.

"What is this – **what have you done**?" he shouted, his face contorting in anger.

She flinched. Yay, déjà vu. She hadn't liked this scenario the first time around.

"I'm sorry, Klaus," she answered, honestly.

He stared at her, his expression unreadable.  
Just as she was about to lower her eyes, his pupils dilated.

His tone of voice was cold and menacing as he said,

" _Please enter, sweetheart_."


	2. Chapter 2

“ **No! Caroline, don’t!** ” As Caroline heard Bonnie’s screams, it was already too late. Not that she could have stopped herself anyway after the compulsion. When she was inside, she didn’t even dare to raise her gaze to him. She gulped. This was very, very bad. Still, she didn’t know if she should feel scared, angry or guilty. She certainly did feel stupid.

“ **What have you done**?!” Bonnie screamed outraged, echoing his previous words, but none of them answered.

Slowly Caroline looked up at Klaus who was standing close beside her. The anger had faded from his face, replaced by an unreadable expression. Brilliant, that didn’t help her one tad bit in deciding on what to do now. Should she run into the depths of the tomb? Not that that would be of any use. She was trapped. They stared at each other, and she was afraid to move even an inch. She was not stupid – she knew he felt some kind of affection for her, but he was also impulsive and absolutely ruthless. She wasn’t taking any risks.

“ **Step away from her**!” Simultaneously both of them turned their heads to Bonnie. Behind her stood a witch that seemed eerily familiar to Caroline, but she couldn’t quite place her. She had a stern expression on her face.

“How about you lift that pretty spell of yours? I believe it would be of interest to you, now,” Klaus uttered, calmly.

Bonnie looked over to the other witch who spoke up promptly, “I will not lift this spell, under no circumstances.”

Faster than the witches could catch up with, Klaus grabbed Caroline’s arm and yanked her to him. As soon as she felt his hand around her arm, it was gone again. She turned her head to see Klaus face contorting in pain, both his arms raised to his head. The witch was staring at him angrily, but the aneurism lasted only a moment.

It had been long enough, though, for her to take a few steps away from him.

He looked back at her, a hint of regret in his eyes. He didn’t take his eyes off hers when he said, “I will not harm her. I just needed you to have a reason to want to lift this nifty spell of yours.” It was as if he spoke the words to Caroline, although they were directed at Bonnie. “You won’t leave her to rot in here forever, will you?” With that he returned his gaze to Bonnie’s.

Bonnie looked back at the other witch who shook her head gently. “I’m sorry Bonnie, but you will have to find another witch to do this job.”

“But no one will! They all hate vampires, and those who don’t at least hate Klaus!” the latter exclaimed panicked.

“I am sure you will find a way,” Klaus noted, his eyebrows lifted in amusement.

Bonnie gulped, a frown on her face. The four of them stood silently for a moment, faced with the dilemma. Ironically, Klaus seemed to be the one most comfortable with the situation.

She should have seen this coming. Something always goes wrong. Caroline broke her trance.

“Bonnie, you need to find some witch to do this spell, but please don’t try to do this yourself.”

Bonnie shook her head. “I won’t. I can’t.”

“Until then, I think it would be best if you’d bring me a few things if I have to spend the night in here,” she went on, thinking practically.

Klaus nodded, appreciatively. “I’d be delighted to have a bottle of bourbon.”

Caroline frowned at him. “You want to get _drunk_ in here?”

“Sweetheart, have you forgotten how old I am? A bottle will hardly get me drunk.” She groaned in annoyance.

Bonnie frowned at the banter unraveling before her. Caroline turned her head back to Bonnie. “I need a pillow, a blanket, some blood bags – B positive –“ Klaus  raised his eyebrows at this “- and some vervein, preferably in liquid form.” Klaus’ eyebrows rose even higher. The girls ignored him. Slowly Bonnie nodded.

“Are you sure that I can leave you alone with him?” she asked.

“We don’t really have a chance, do we? You need to find a witch. Besides, I think I’ll be okay.”

Bonnie stepped forward to hug Caroline and then headed off with the other witch, leaving the two of them in the tomb.

 

* * *

 

Caroline knew that there only were two ways to deal with this situation. Either she acted like the damsel in distress at his mercy – which she really was – or she took charge of the situation, hoping he’d play along. She chose the latter.

“So, I get that this is not the ideal situation, but we’re gonna have to live with each other in here.”

He smirked, clearly over any resentment he’d shown earlier. “Oh, I find this situation to be more than ideal.”

She looked away. So he was gonna act like an asshole now. On the one hand she was annoyed, on the other she was scared. She’d have to watch out for further signs of his mood. She just hoped he wasn’t going to make any remarks about their earlier encounter in the woods.

“Since I happen to be better equipped this time.”

Great.

She felt her stomach turning. This was getting more uncomfortable by the minute. But challenges were supposed to be faced head on and quite frankly, she was angry. How dare he?

She placed her hands on her hips and faced him. “Oh, so you want to talk about how you sexually assaulted me today.”

He halted at that, the smirk falling from his face, his eyes narrowing.

“Well, I certainly don’t like you phrasing it that way. If that had been my intention, I wouldn’t have stopped it, would I?”

“Oh, please. _I_ stopped it, you merely tried, and - seriously - you could have tried _harder_.”

“A man can only take so much, love.”

This was really inappropriate, now. She really didn’t want to have this conversation – how about decency for a change?

Usually he treated her with more respect. Well, his change of behavior probably had to do with the fact that she had just attempted to trap him in a cave. She had to find a way to bring him back to his best behavior in order to be safe.

“Can we like, agree to _not_ talk about this, please?”

“Fine, if that is your wish. What subject do you prefer then? Maybe we should talk about how _incredibly stupid_ you and your friends are. It’s amazing you’re even still alive.” He seemed aggravated about this. “Next time you have some kind of petty excuse for a plan to kill or trick someone that isn’t me would you please come and talk to me about it first?”

She frowned at that. “Why would you want that?”

“Well, you’re lucky it was me you tried to trick today. Others might not be quite so merciful. We wouldn’t want any harm coming to you, would we?” He cocked his head to one side and stared at her intently. She crossed her arms in front of her chest as if to create distance between them.

“Look, I just want you to behave civil as long as we’re in here. Is that possible?”

He smirked again, his gaze softening. “As you wish.”

She felt a rush of relief. Mission accomplished. So he was not going to rip her to shreds. At least for now.

She sat down against the wall, letting out a frustrated sigh.

This sure as hell was gonna be fun, she thought to herself sarcastically while he sat down, leaning on the wall opposite of her.

 

* * *

 

A few moments of awkward silence later – which had really been awkward only for her, since he had decided to spend his time staring at her creepily while she tried to look anywhere else – were broken by the arrival of Bonnie – and Tyler.

“ **Care**!” he exclaimed, a worried note in his voice. “Are you okay?” he asked while making his way to her, quickly.

“Tyler, stop! Be careful, you can’t enter.”

He stopped at this, frowning, then he nodded. “I know. Care, are you okay?”

“I am.” She smiled softly and then turned her head to Bonnie who handed her a pillow, a blanket, some blood bags, a small vial likely to contain the vervein, as well as _a bottle of bourbon_. Caroline frowned and looked up at Bonnie, questioningly. “I thought it’d be better to keep him happy,” she replied, shrugging.

Right, an hour ago they had been plotting how best to get rid of him, and now they had to make sure he was _comfortable_. Just great.

That was when Tyler’s gaze found Klaus who had risen to his feet, too, and his lips curled up into a snarl. “ _You_ ,” He hissed. Klaus ignored him and grabbed the bourbon.

“Well, thank you, sweetheart. I agree with you on that matter.”

“Why do you always have to drag Caroline into things?” Tyler snarled.

Finally, Klaus turned his head towards him, raising his eyebrows. “I didn’t drag her into anything. If I recall correctly, it was her who dragged _me_ in here. But if you like to discuss the matter, I suggest you enter and I rip you to pieces.”

Tylers gaze only darkened in response to this, but Caroline stepped, protectively, in between the two of them, her tone calming. “It’s okay Tyler. I’ll be okay. Just help Bonnie find a witch as soon as possible, please.” Tyler closed his eyes, exhaled and nodded.

“You’ll call me if anything happens, will you?” he asked.

She smiled reassuringly and nodded. “Of course.”

They looked at each other and for a moment the world was okay again. As they broke their gaze, she nodded at Bonnie.

Then the two of them left, and she made herself comfortable with the blanket and the pillow, suckling down on a blood bag while Klaus opened the bourbon and started drinking.

 

* * *

 

After another uncomfortable silence Caroline finally spoke up.

“Please don’t hurt Bonnie when we get out.”

“Now why wouldn’t I do that, love?” he asked, looking at her expectantly, taking a slug of the bourbon.

She didn’t really know how to answer. Instead, she held up the veil filled with vervein and looked at it, discomfort on her face. All right, this wouldn’t be fun. She opened it and then quickly downed its content as if she was taking a shot, grimacing as the liquid burned her throat like acid. The corner of Klaus’ mouth twitched at the sight, but other than that his expression remained the same.   
“Onto another subject, then. While I am impressed with your willingness to drink vervein in order to escape the prospect of me using compulsion on you – which I wouldn’t, just to inform you – having Bonnie bring vervein in here like that wasn’t a very smart move, again.”

“Why? And don’t you give me that shit about not compelling me. You just did,” she stated dryly. He rolled his eyes.

“Still, I wouldn’t have done that if I were you. If you’re ever in a similar situation with one of my siblings, you’d better not make that move.”

She looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to continue.

“Well for starters vervein makes an excellent torture device. It was also unnecessary - you probably even still had it in your system. Didn’t they use it on you in that kidnapping attempt earlier? Plus, I could just bleed it out of you if I really wanted to compel you.”

Caroline shuffled backwards a little, holding on a little tighter to the veil in her hand. The situation had turned dangerous again.  “Would you please stop threatening me?”

He frowned. “I apologize if I came across as if it was my intention to threaten you. I was serious when I said I wouldn’t harm you.”

“Yeah, and since you’re the most honest person in the world and just happen to be a murdering psychopath, of course I’ll believe you.” She mocked him, her anger flaring at his hypocrisy. “It’s not like you pretended to be my _boyfriend_ _today_.”

“Some boyfriend he is,” he snarled dismissively, lifting the bottle to his lips.

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“I simply don’t think he’s doing the best job in leaving you here with me,” He said bluntly, cocking his head up.

“Well it’s not like he can _do_ anything,” Caroline replied.

“Oh, he could if he wanted to.”

“I’m sure he and Bonnie are pretty busy finding a witch to undo the spell right now.”

“That’s not what I’m talking about.”

“What _are_ you talking about?”

“Well, he could’ve entered.”

She looked at him, dumbfounded. She preferred her boyfriend in one piece.

“You said yourself you’d kill him!”

“Then he could have camped in front of the cave for all I know! Instead of leaving his _girlfriend_ trapped alone with his worst enemy. That’s what I would have done, anyway.”

The hypocrisy was just piling up. She snorted dismissively. “As if you would ever do such a thing for someone else.”

“I would. If it meant keeping you save,” he said, locking his eyes with hers. She evaded his gaze again. Him being surprisingly forwards seemed to be the secret theme of the day. At least now he did it in a complementing way.

“Don’t you play innocent. You _compelled_ me to come in here with you.”

“And you dragged me here in the first place. I’d say we’re even, and with that I’m giving you more than I would give anyone else.” He took another slug of his drink.

He actually thought he was doing her a favor here.

“That still doesn’t change anything about the fact that you’re a murdering psychopath who’s killing people for fun.” She shook her head. He couldn’t seriously be thinking he’d stand any kind of chance here. Somehow she felt the need to explain to him where he was going wrong. She had to be careful that that didn’t compromise her safety.

He clenched his jaw, unhappy with where the conversation was heading. “Have you ever even _made_ a kill, Caroline?”

She lowered her head and sighed, feeling uncomfortable being reminded of what she did. “Yes.”

“I thought as much. Caroline, you cannot tell me you didn’t enjoy it.”

She stared right back at him, angry. Did he expect her to deny it? Did he really think she was _that_ stupid? “You know what? Yes. Yes I did.”

He lowered his head and returned her gaze, his eyes burning with a new intensity. “Because it is _your nature_. And you are denying it.”

She gulped and decided not to back down. She wouldn’t let him intimidate her.

“No, no, you misunderstood me. Yes, I did enjoy it. Because I am a vampire. But that is _not_ all I am. There is also humanity in me. And as you once pointed out, yes, I am strong. Because _I_ am the one to _choose_ which part of me is in control.”

He exhaled and then clenched his jaw again, took a slug, and looked away. “If you knew what you are missing… you could be so much more.”

She gasped in disbelief, leaning forward. She was seriously offended now, anger boiling in her blood. “ _Excuse me_?! _”_

“Now that came out wrong, love. I apologize.”

“Do you want to do to me what you did to Stefan? Do you even have _any_ idea how much you _hurt_ him?”

Klaus expression looked like he’d swallowed something sour. “He’ll get over it.”

“Yet another cop out, Klaus. Even if you’re raging psychopath I know, on some very strange kinda level you _care_ for him and some part of you is _sorry_.”

Annoyed, he looked at her as if she was retarded. “I don’t feel remorse.”

“Like hell you do!” She was now officially angry, all caution gone.

Klaus on the other hand didn’t seem to like being cornered. “Easy love, be careful not to overstep your boundaries.”

She shook her head. “You can’t bullshit me and not expect me to call you out on it.”

His gaze softened. “You’re right, love. That is one of the qualities I fancy about you, after all.”

Annoyed she looked away. Whenever he was about to redeem himself just a little he’d somehow manage to turn it into something like this.

“You can’t sweet talk your way out of this, Klaus. If you are able to “fancy” someone, you are able to feel guilty.”

“I wouldn’t place my bet on that one if I were you.”

“Well, you haven’t killed or hurt me yet, after all.”

His gaze softened even more. “That is because I feel no desire whatsoever to do so, love.”

Relief. Big time. But she wasn’t stupid enough to take one positive statement for the absolute truth. Despite herself she hated him a little less, though. It was hard to hate someone who so openly announced his fondness of you. It only made her angrier. Some part of her was convinced that he could if only he tried enough. Good old, way too honest Caroline fought her way out.

“And what if one day, mysteriously, you do?”

“Let’s not waste our time with conjunctives, sweetheart.”

“Uhm, it kinda concerns my wellbeing and basically my _survival_ , so duh – let’s do exactly that. How could you think that I, in my right mind, could ever choose you after everything you’ve done - knowing how you treat your own siblings.” She decided to drop the act completely and be forward herself. Somehow it was basically impossible not to and so far he hadn’t made any moves against her, if anything, only given out signs that she was safe. She’d sooner or later fail at evading him anyway if she was trapped in here with him and this growing need to shake him out of his ignorance.

His gaze darkened again. “Dangerous ground, Caroline.”

“Okay, fine. You know what? I’m so done with your little temper tantrums. Just because you have a power advantage you seem have gotten your ass around uncomfortable subjects. I won’t have that. You either have a conversation with me, or you don’t.”

He looked at her dumbfounded, then he looked away, but he wasn’t tense anymore. He seemed to be pondering on something. He really was a mystery, changing moods at a pace that was hard to keep up with. He licked his lips, and she desperately tried not to stare.

“You never cease to amaze me, love. But you _are_ being a bit of a hypocrite here. I would assume there are some subjects that you’d like to evade yourself, would you?”

She frowned, looking down at her hands. He was right. Maybe she had gotten a little ahead of herself. “I guess you’re right. It’s not like we’re playing truth or dare here, anyway.”

Suddenly Klaus’ trademark smirk spread across his face, his eyes lighting up.

“Now that’s what I’d call an excellent idea, love.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This might very well be one of my favorite chapters. Enjoy ;)

"Excuse me?" Caroline gasped, surprised. Did he just imply he wanted to play _truth or dare_ with her?

"Let me propose something, love. If you play a game of truth or dare with me, I will spare the witch." Klaus was grinning with excitement.

What the hell was going on? She had to keep her calm.

"That's blackmail. Also there's not really much to dare in here."

He raised his eyebrows as if ready to give a sneaky retort but decided against it. "Well, we still have more than half of the bottle left. We can make it 'truth or drink' then."

She couldn't believe this. How had an evening filled with ice cream and a corny movie turned into an evening playing truth or – drink or whatever with _Klaus_?

"You just want to get me drunk," she stated, growing increasingly uncomfortable with the situation again. Klaus, however, was beaming like a happy grade-schooler.

"Do you really have that low of a tolerance?" Probably. Yes, she was a vampire. But she didn't get drunk that often, after all, and her tolerance had always been considerably low.

What worried her more was the fact that a part of her was actually getting _excited_ at the idea. Despite herself she didn't feel that threatened anymore. Moreover she felt kinda curious about Klaus' secrets. She'd already gotten more out of him today than she'd estimated to be possible. Maybe she could get hold of some information they could use when she got out of here, she reasoned. Also, if she was to be trapped in the freaking _tomb_ with _Klaus_ of all people, she could at least let herself have some fun.

"And you promise to spare Bonnie? That means no kind of revenge whatsoever?" she asked, cocking up her eyebrows.

His grin widened. "I promise."

She couldn't hold back a smile herself. She sat up straight, stretching her arms above her head. "Well, then let the games begin," She exclaimed playfully.

"Let's drink to that." Klaus took another slug and offered her the bottle. She grabbed it and took one herself, trying to bury her doubts about what she just agreed to in the taste of alcohol.

* * *

"So, Caroline," Klaus raised his eyebrows while giving her one of his trademark smirks, "What will it be, now? Truth or 'drink'?"

Caroline's gaze wavered between his face and the bottle standing between them. On the one hand she was a little afraid of what kind of question he would ask her, on the other hand she didn't want to start the game evading it. Also, she figured staying sober as long as possible would considerably reduce the danger associated with answering tricky questions.  
"Truth," she said, elevating her head, looking at him. Nervously she licked her lips. What kind of question would he ask her? She hoped he wouldn't be a dick about it and go easy on her. It was the beginning of the game, after all.

Fortunately he seemed to agree with her on that.

"Since this is only the start of our game and there still is a considerable amount of alcohol waiting to be drunk, I'll be merciful and ask you a harmless question. Between the doppelganger and the witch, whom do you consider the closer friend?"

She didn't have to think long about this one.

"Bonnie." He nodded, appreciatively, as if he had figured as much.

"It has always been this way. Although I guess now it's a little different with everything that happened. My relationship with Elena really changed for the positive, because I did, and I went through a seriously rough patch with Bonnie when she went through a phase of witch-induced anti-vampire-racism."

He frowned but didn't say anything. She figured he'd be saving his questions for later.

"Truth or Drink, Klaus?" she asked, cocking her head to her side.

He grinned at her and answered, "Well since you've been so forthcoming I'll give you 'truth'."

What kind of question should she ask? A million alternatives raced through her head, most of which would wipe the grin right off his face, even more of which she wasn't actually sure she really wanted to know the answers to. Hell, he was Klaus, and he had more or less blackmailed her into playing this game.

"Do you really don't feel regret?" she asked bluntly.

His eyebrow twitched and he stopped grinning, but there was nothing dangerous about his gaze, so she thought she'd asked a question within the realm of not murder-inducing.

His jaw tightened and he looked away, thinking. Then he looked back at her and answered,

"Alright, I do. I'll give you that. But just like you I am the one who decides what part gets to reign over me. And it seems to me we have uncovered a beautiful symmetry here as we seem to choose the absolute opposites in that matter."

She nodded, looking down. But despite what he had just stated - he had, however despicable what followed was, decided to come save her today.

"Truth," she said, looking at him expectantly.

He deliberated for a moment, then he fixed his gaze on hers again.

"For a vampire your age you display a remarkable sense of control. Why, would you estimate, is that so?"

Oh, wow, he was actually able to give a compliment without turning it into something offensive.

"Stefan," she replied promptly, "he taught me. And the control-freak-thingy, I guess. I am used to controlling things, actually, I like it."

He smiled and nodded, then he said, "Truth."

"Why did you save me today?" she asked, her eyes catching his.

He smiled. Damn, this might have been one of those questions that she actually didn't want to know the answer to. No, no, not this direction. "Besides for sexually assaulting me afterwards," she added, trying to draw back a little. She succeeded. The smile fell from his face.

Between gritted teeth he pressed out, "I already apologized for that."

"No, actually, you didn't!"

He stared at her and then sighed. "Then consider this my apology. I am sorry. Can we move on from that now, please?"

She couldn't believe her ears. " _NO_. I don't know how people rolled in your century, but in mine _sexual assault_ is considered a serious thing you can't just _undo_ with one stupid halfway apology!"  
He continued grinding his teeth while evading her furious gaze. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but then reconsidered and continued assaulting his teeth.

Finally he answered.

"I saved you because I didn't want you to get hurt. Whether you believe me or not Caroline, I care about you, and when someone tries to harm you, I will _always_ be there to protect you."

Great. Now she was the one speechless. Her diversionary maneuver obviously hadn't worked. She lowered her head and fixed her gaze at the bottle in front of her.

"Drink," she said dryly, grabbed the bottle and took a huge slug.

She winced at the taste, and when she looked back at him, she saw a mixture of surprise and content cross his face.

He cleared his throat.

"Well I guess I'll join you in that choice." With that he took the bottle out of her hand and took a swig.

She stared at him, pouting angrily. Great, that had gotten her nothing. And she sure as hell was not gonna let him trick her into getting drunk by trying to get her to evade his questions.

"Fine. Truth," she spat out.

His gaze softened. _Why_? Why couldn't he just stop teasing her.

"What is it you want to do after you finished high school?"

Was going easy on her considered teasing? For it sure as hell felt like it right now. How could he just _say_ things like that, then go on asking her about her hopes and dreams and expect her not to react? Oh, fuck it, he probably wanted exactly _this_. She had to pull herself together. This was _Klaus_ , no matter what cheesy things he'd say to her, he still was a mass murdering psychopath.

"I actually don't know. I always planned on settling down and having a family. Maybe go to college before that. Once I considered becoming a journalist. Now I think, maybe event planning or something. It doesn't really matter anymore, though. I mean, that's all over now. Every job I take, every place that I settle down in will only be temporary. I don't really think about that anymore, ever since I died I've basically been living from day to day."

He frowned. "It should be the other way around, Caroline."

She nibbled on her lip.

"Being a vampire opens up endless possibilities," he continued, "it opens up the world to you, Caroline. You can go anywhere, do anything you wish. I told you before."

Yes, she remembered. The day all of this had started, her birthday. When she had been ready to die and he, her supposed enemy, the source of all her recent pain, swooped in and saved her with a gentleness that knocked her off her feet and sweet words on his lips that gave her a prospect of life she had never envisioned before. She remembered.

"You are made for more than a petty human small town life. You deserve all this world has to offer and more."

"Well, I don't really have time to make plans for my future. I don't even know if there will be one! Because I can't even sit down and breathe for a moment. Because every moment I have to expect that someone I love is in mortal danger, or I have to take part in some stupid plan, or someone abducts me and I get tortured for the hundredths time! I can't even enjoy my time with Tyler because of you! And at every dance or event I look forward to _people die_! And in between all that I actually still go to school and _study_ for my exams. So, _duh_ , no I don't actually think about the future that much."

He watched her outburst, frowning. His jaw tightened again. What was up with that by the way? If he was human he _so_ would have to have damaged his teeth already.

"Who tortured you?" he said, his voice deadly quiet.

Oh.

"You don't get to ask your questions till it's your turn," she answered, fired up. Being fired up actually felt a lot better than feeling overwhelmed by a murdering psychopath's confessions of affection.

He took a sharp breath.

"Fine," he still seemed really tense, "then I'll choose drink."

He took a slug.

Oh no! He was _not_ gonna trick his way around this.

"Fine," she echoed him, her tone falsely sweet, "me, too."

She ripped the bottle from his hand and took a huge slug herself, gulped it down and raised her eyebrows competitively.

He mirrored her expression and retrieved the bottle. "Drink," he said, and took another swig.

"Drink," she repeated the motion.

She knew what she was getting herself into. But the pull of the game was just too strong. She wasn't one to give up easily, and for the first time that day she was finally having some kind of _fun_.

Wordlessly, never breaking eye contact, he took the bottle and drank, offering it up to her afterwards. She glared at him, took it and drank herself. They repeated that a few times, staring at each other wordlessly. Finally she felt dizzy.

Did she just engage in _eyesex_ with _Klaus_? She looked away and gasped.

He smirked. "Truth," the words fell from his lips, his tone filled with triumph.

But wait - hadn't she won? A realization dawned on her.

"Did you just try to get me drunk?"

He raised his eyebrows. "Is that your question?"

She actually felt a little lightheaded. She looked at the bottle. It was almost empty.

"Yes," she answered, trying to appear as sober as possible.

"Maybe a little," he answered, chuckling, "but mainly I just enjoyed the way you looked at me."

She blushed. Oh, god in heaven, no. What did she get herself into?

He looked at her, expectantly. Could he be somewhat less annoying, please?

The back of her head itched; she figured it probably was her ponytail. If she had to spend the night in here she might as well get comfortable.

She freed her hair and ran her fingers through it.

The look on his face changed as he kept on staring at her. It was just _hair_ , for god's sake!

"Look somewhere else!" she blurted.

"I'm waiting for your choice, love."

What choice? Ah, damn, she really was a little tipsy. Of course, the stupid game.

"Truth." As if she was drinking any more now.

His expression turned serious again.

"Who tortured you?"

She lowered her head and pulled the blanket towards her. Not exactly the best memories to delve into.

"First time were a bunch of werewolves. They basically tortured me for being a vampire. Something that I really hadn't had a choice about. They put me in a cage and that guy kept shooting me with wooden bullets, and he used vervein. They were all killed the same day, except Jules. You killed her at your stupid ritual thingy." She looked up for his reaction. His eyes were burning. Even though she knew she shouldn't she felt a tiny rush of satisfaction run through her body. Somebody getting that angry about what she had had to go through. Especially considering Tyler's role in the whole thing. Fortunately she was still sober enough not to mention _that_.

She didn't _need_ anyone's pity, she could stand on her own, deal with her own problems. She was not a damsel in distress that needed a knight to safe her. It was important that she wasn't, an essential part of her personality, something that allowed her to be as much in control as she was, that marked the difference between her and her former self. But it was nice, still, having someone acknowledge the gravity of what she had been through.

"Next time I was abducted was by your witches. Wasn't fun either." What was fun was the look of guilt crossing his eyes.

"Then my father tried torturing vampirism out of me. Obviously he didn't succeed." She wasn't going to go into detail on that one. The look on his face also became a little too much for her. Her head spun. She was not going to cry, she was not going to remember.

"And you know about Alaric. He put fucking _pencils_ in my hands. And he gagged with something drained in vervein. So, thank you, I am _well aware_ of the fact that vervein _makes an excellent torture device_. And these are just the ones that feature abduction. And _please_ , don't even _ask_!"

Oh fuck, fuck fuck fuck. Those weren't tears in her eyes. She wasn't stuck in a cave with Klaus, drunk, crying while reminiscing about past torture sessions. Fuck. She took a deep breath and wiped her eyes. Luckily she managed to pull herself together quickly. Her self control was a force to be reckoned with.

Her stomach dropped when she looked back at him. Well, she supposed, she should have expected this.

Did he actually look _pale_? His jaw looked as if he was going to break it if he clenched it any harder, and the look in his eyes alternated between utter emotional disturbance and cold fury.

" _I'm sorry_ ," he said, his voice ghostly.

She was about to say that it was not his fault but reconsidered. Most of it was, at least indirectly.

"I'm never leaving you unprotected again," his tone had shifted to one expressing barely contained rage.

"So you're gonna stalk me now, or what?" she blurted, grabbing the bottle, but he was faster than her.

"I think you've had enough."

"I can decide that for myself! Stop being a macho, I hate that!" She leaned forward, reaching out to snatch the bottle from his hands.

A look of hurt crossed his eyes as he held the bottle out of her reach.

"Well, sweetheart, last time I remembered this bottle was _mine_ , so I'm the one who decides who gets to drink from it." She moved to her knees, leaning even more forward, trying to get hold of the bottle.

Klaus licked his lips, obviously conflicted about something, staring at her intently.

Next thing she knew he'd lifted the bottle to his lips and downed the whole rest of the liquor in one big gulp.

Triumphantly he grinned at her and handed her the bottle.

"Here you go, love."

She put it down in front of her with a thud, happy that it didn't break in the process. She pouted. "First you get me drunk and then you act all moral on me. You're a dick," she stated.

He was clearly enjoying this now, a wide playful grin spread across his face. "Am I, now?" He moved a little closer towards her, very slowly, as if he was trying to keep her from noticing.

She did, though. She also noticed their proximity. She knew she would have noticed this sooner if she was sober. She'd probably also done something about already if she was sober. She furrowed her brows and assessed the situations. She was kneeling in front of Klaus who sat comfortable one leg outstretched and the other cocked in front of him. Before he'd been leaning against the wall behind him, now his upper body was bent forward, one arm hanging loosely over his knee. Wait, where was his other hand?

On her shoulder, apparently. Slowly she lifted her gaze from his hand to his face, which was like **a lot** closer than she was comfortable with. She could smell him, actually. He smelled nice. Wait – what? No, no no no. She hadn't thought that. Hadn't happened, nope.

Slowly his expression turned from intense amusement to utter seriousness. His head slightly lowered he looked up at her, catching her eyes with his. The intensity of his gaze caused her head to spin, still she couldn't look away.

Oh my god, what was happening? Was he going to – was he – no, no, he wouldn't, would he? Look away, look away damn it.

Oh fuck, what was happening?

He hadn't moved an inch, still piercing her with his gaze.

It felt like she was going to explode in anticipation. If he was going to kiss her, he should just do it already!

She felt the hand on her shoulder pushing her backwards.

He leaned forward and cautiously placed her back on the wall behind her, keeping his distance. Then he got up, breaking their eye contact.

Wait – what?

"I think you should have a little drink, sweetheart," offering her a blood bag he'd just picked up. She stared up at him in utter confusion. _What?_

Abruptly she came to her senses, grabbed the blood bag, opened it swiftly and started sucking it, looking anywhere but at him. How _dare_ he… well, he hadn't exactly done anything. Stupid _dick_! She couldn't decide between flushing and fuming but – oh, the blood. She closed her eyes, relishing in the taste. The effect of the alcohol intensified the taste, while it lowered her control. Despite herself she felt her vampire face emerge. She didn't care, sucking until it was empty. She threw it away, ironically enough it landed outside of the tomb.

When she looked at him again, her face still transformed, she halted again. Was he purposely trying to screw with her mind? He couldn't just look at her like that.

Klaus sat in front of her, leaning forward again. The look on his face was one of pure awe.

"What?" she spat.

He gulped, wordlessly offering her another one.

She looked at it, considered taking it for a moment and then shook her head while changing her face back to normal. "Nah, I'm good. Thanks."

She already felt her mind clearing. Being a vampire really had its perks.

He took a deep breath and then looked away while nervously clearing his throat again and shifting his sitting position a little. She didn't even want to know why. God no.

She ran her hand through her hair. "You're an absolute dick, you know."

"I really didn't plan on getting you drunk, if that's what you mean," he answered apologetically, "I didn't expect you to have such a low tolerance."

Oh, hell no. He wasn't going to get away with blaming that on her.

"And when exactly did you realize that? Before or after you made me reminisce about my torture experiences?"

He frowned. "You agreed to play this game."

"Because you _blackmailed_ me into it!"

"I _didn't_! We made a _deal_!" he defended himself.

"A deal, out of which _you_ seem to have gotten a lot more than me, apparently. Wait, if I remember correctly that extends to the _whole day_. I remember this incident that you so desperately try to sweep under the rug every time I mention it."

He was fuming, now. "Oh, _really_ , love? If _I_ _remember_ correctly it was _you_ who just scrambled across the room, leaning into me, and then continued to _stare_ at me with hooded eyes. Maybe you wanted another taste of that _incident_ , as you call it."

Her mouth fell open. Instantly he flinched, lowering is gaze.

When her hand connected with his face the second time that day he took it without blinking, looking back at her guiltily.

"I apologize. I suppose the liquor has gotten the best of me, too."

"Oh, _has it_?" she spat.

Never in her wildest dreams would she have thought that there would be a day on which she would slap Klaus – _twice_.

The first time had been in Tylers body. Surprisingly she didn't feel as ashamed looking back, something had shifted during the last hours. Klaus was still an asshole, even more so. Damn, he had been in Tyler's body. Tyler had been _alive_ while she thought he was dead, and Klaus wouldn't have told her hadn't she been kidnapped.

Wait – suddenly a realization hit her with brutal force. It had been in her face all day; she just hadn't seen it. She gasped.

The expression on his face shifted to worry. Her face, on the other hand, hardened.

"I believe it's my turn. And since there's no alcohol left I guess you choose truth."

He frowned, still looking worried.

She bit her lip angrily.

"When I said goodbye. When Tyler died. Was that you?"

 _'You have a beautiful future ahead of you'_ \- the words echoed in her mind.

He looked down, even more guilt in his eyes, exhaling loudly.

"How _could_ you?" she whispered, disgust in her voice.

"Caroline-" he started, his head darting up again, desperation mixing in with the guilt.

"No, don't even start it. I get it, you didn't want to get found out. I don't even want to hear it."

She stood up, looking down at him, her upper lip curled up in anger.

"I thought my boyfriend _died_ on that day. Do even have the _slightest_ idea what that means?"

He rose up, too, starting to say something, but she stopped him before he could. "Oh, yes, you do. Because _you were there_. And you just _watched_ me suffer, you made me believe he was _dying_!" She felt her eyes watering. She didn't care. "You know, Klaus. For all the things you claim to feel for me, that's a pretty great way of expressing them. You are a selfish _monster_ , _incapable_ of love! So fuck you, Klaus!" By the end of her monologue she was screaming in his face.

He was trembling, desperation had turned into rage again.

His voice was calm, which made it all the more threatening.

"I learned something interesting, too, that day." He cocked his head to the side, almost snarling. "Maybe you are right and I am nothing but a ' _monster, incapable of love'_ , but you most definitely _don't love Tyler Lockwood_."

She gasped in shock, staring at him trying to process the information. " _What_?!"

"Well, you definitely didn't tell him when you thought he was dying, did you?"

He looked at her, cold and emotionless, having made his point, though a shimmer of pain reflected in his eyes.

She gasped again, this time unable to keep the tears from streaming down her face.

She couldn't believe his cruelty.

Instantly his gaze softened. He licked his lips and looked down at his hands.

She let out a sob, then bent down to angrily fetch the blanket and the pillow and rushed farther into the tomb, away from him.

"Caroline!" she heard him call out behind her.

She lifted her hand to her face, trying to stop herself from sobbing. This needed to stop. She was not weak. He was just a dick. How could she have let herself believe, for one second, that there was something good in him.

How _dare_ he think it was his place to question her relationship with Tyler? As if stupid words held any meaning that couldn't be expressed otherwise! Tyler sure as hell was no fairytale prince, but she was no helpless princess either, and she wasn't going to let some thousand year old dick force his antiquated worldview on her. Reality was not perfect; it would always differ from what one thought it should be. You had to accept that in order to cope with life. Trying to fit it into your perception of what it should be was childish and would only bring misery.

Maybe that was exactly his problem. A thousand years of time to learn, and he was still basically acting like a four year old, except he ran around _killing_ people if they disappointed him. There was no way in hell he would learn now, after all this time.

"I'm sorry, Caroline!" He raced after her, grabbing her arm. "I'm sorry Caroline; I didn't mean to say that. I am _drunk_!" She shoved his hand away and took another step forward.

She stood, her back to him, and wiped her face with the sleeve of her jacket. If anyone, he was supposed the adult here; she wouldn't let him force her into the role of the indulgent grown up. No, he was going to have to face reality with her. If he screwed up she would make him suffer the full consequences of his actions. And right now she was hurt and angry. She steadied her breath and prepared herself for striking the final blow.

"Get away from me. _I hate you_."

She didn't see his reaction, but the utter silence that followed suggested that she had succeeded in her mission. A small, cold smile spread on her lips; it didn't reach her eyes.

She proceeded to walk forward into the tomb until she reached a point that was substantially far away enough from the entrance. She made herself comfortable against the wall and tried to fall asleep.

He didn't follow her, and after some time she heard him move away, towards the exit.

She just wanted to sleep, to get away from all this.


	4. Chapter 4

 

 

She woke up to someone shouting hysterically.

" **What have you done to her?! Where is she?!** "

Her mind still fogged by sleep, she slowly realized that it was Tyler.

" **I swear to god, if you don't start talking right now I'll come in and** -"

"I'm fine, Tyler, don't," she called out, her voice still sleepy.

With a sigh she scrambled to her feet and then raced to the entrance in vampire speed.

She came to a halt right before Tyler and ran her hand through her hair, yawning.

He frowned. "Care, are you okay? Why weren't you here?"

Her mind was slowly clearing. _Right_ – _Klaus_.

"Well, I didn't want to sleep near _him_ , you know?" she answered, gesturing somewhat dismissively towards Klaus.

He sat at the same spot he had yesterday night, a cold, sober expression on his face.

He had probably been looking forward to Tyler 'coming in and -' being 'ripped to shreds'.

She sighed and then turned her head to Bonnie, who stepped forward behind Tyler.

A small smile spread on her face. She was glad to finally be in the presence of someone without werewolf-testosterone-issues. She greeted her "Hi," and then exclaimed gleefully, "Thank you so much, Bon, you're a lifesaver," as Bonnie handed her two paper cups of coffee. She put one of the cups beside Klaus. He didn't pick it up.

Caroline, on the other hand, was more than happy to stick her nose into the alluring fragrance of the hot beverage before her and then took a sip. Perfect, exactly what she had needed.

Bonnie watched the whole scenario with a sense of irritated interest. Tyler seemed rather happy with the distance between the two detainees.

"So, any news?" Caroline asked.

Bonnie bit her lip. "It's really difficult to find someone willing to do the spell. I'm thinking maybe we should try and contact Elijah or something."

Caroline's jaw dropped. That didn't sound like a very good idea. Last time she checked Klaus and Elijah – well, basically Klaus and any of his siblings, correction, Klaus and anyone – seemed to have a rather difficult relationship. Chances were Elijah would try and make sure Klaus _stayed_ inside.

Klaus seemed to be of a similar opinion. His voice was tense and threatening.

"Don't you dare even consider that, or I will rip you and every one you know to pieces despite whatever else I might have promised."

Bonnie looked thoroughly threatened, Tyler looked thoroughly angry. If any of them took notice of the inclination in the last part of his sentence, they didn't show it.

"You will find a way to fix this, however long it will take," he went on, fixing his gaze on Caroline. Maybe she was imagining things, but it sounded to her as if his words didn't just refer to the spell-situation. If this was supposed to be some kind of commitment concerning his future actions she couldn't care less. As far as she was concerned she just wanted to get out of here, like, now. At this point she only wished he'd leave her alone.

"I got you something." Bonnie handed her a cooling box. She set it down and looked inside. It contained a supply of blood bags. She smiled.

"Looks like you're really pessimistic about finding someone to undo the spell. Thanks, though."

Instead of answering, Bonnie handed her a basket filled with all kinds of stuff. Mainly food though, human food.

She sighed as she felt any kind of optimism leave her.  
"You'll have to tell my mum." She set down the basket. "How's Elena, by the way?"

"She is fully turned and… adjusting. She's got both Salvatores to take care of her so I guess that'll work out."

Caroline nodded. "Does she know?"

"I haven't told her yet."

"She's probably going through a lot of shit right now. Don't tell her, she's got enough on her plate already." Bonnie nodded. Klaus frowned.

"Tell my mom I'll be okay. And, please, I don't know, just find a witch. It's not exactly comfortable to sleep in here."

"About that… I think I might find a witch but that would mean we'd have to travel. We wouldn't be able to look after you for a day or two. That's why I brought you all this stuff."

Caroline frowned. Just great. "I'll survive."

Tyler stepped forward, dangerously close. "Are you sure you'll be okay, Care?" He looked worried. "I really don't want to leave you alone with _him_ again. Did he try anything funny or something?"

Dragging Tyler into this wouldn't help. She didn't particularly enjoy the prospect of her boyfriend being ripped to shreds. If she'd ask him to camp outside, she was sure that at some point Klaus would aggravate him enough to come in, and she didn't even want to think about the aftermath of that. She shook her head. "No, I'm perfectly fine, Ty. As I told you, I slept far away from him. I'll just try to avoid him until you undo the spell. I think he'll leave me alone." She snuck a glance in his direction; his expression still didn't reveal anything about his mood. Except for, maybe, that he was pissed. Still, he kept his usual sarcastic remarks to himself.

"I wish I could kiss you, or at least hug you, Care," Tyler confessed.

She smiled. She agreed. God, she needed a hug. She'd have to spend at least a day alone in a cave with Klaus.

"I know."

* * *

When they were gone she sat down besides Klaus, ignoring him, and went through the contents of the basket. A few sandwiches, a hairbrush – her gratefulness knew no end –, dry shampoo – Bonnie really knew her –, sprayable deodorant, Kleenex, some magazine, one of Bonnie's tops, clean underwear – where the hell was she supposed to change into that? –, a box of mints, two toothbrushes, toothpaste, a plastic bottle filled with water, a bottle of soda, two more bottles of bourbon – she contemplated throwing them out of the tomb, really, what had Bonnie been thinking –, another vervein-filled veil and – to her delight – three boxes of Caroline's favorite Cookies.

She immediately opened up one of them, brushing her hair and pulling it up into a new ponytail while eating her first cookie. She'd have a cookie-breakfast with her coffee and a perfectly cooled bag of B positive after that. She was determined to make the best of her situation.

Klaus sat in his usual position, leaning on the wall, seemingly brooding.

He had his gaze fixed on her again.

"You want some?" she asked indifferently.

"No, thank you, love. Regretfully I don't have much of a sweet tooth." His tone of voice was composed and almost friendly.

She shrugged, grabbing the magazine and started to lazily flip through it while continuing her breakfast.

Then she took the deodorant, the top, the underwear and the vervein-veil out of the basket.

"Look, I need you to stay here for a moment. I'm going to go change."

His gaze fell to the veil in her hand and then back to her, his mood still unreadable. Which was really ironic, considering the fact that his face was one of the most expressive ones she'd ever known.

He nodded. She put the veil in her pocket.

She was glad they had somehow arrived at a point where she didn't feel like pointing the obvious out anymore and he didn't tease her with it. It would make things a hell of a lot easier.

She went back into the tomb, around some corners until she arrived at her makeshift-bed. Swiftly she changed, happy about the somewhat brush-up. She was really glad she had showered last night, right before all this had started.

She left the pillow and the blanket lying where she'd spend the night.

When arrived back at the entrance, she saw that Klaus had already made use of his toothbrush. She did the same.

"Ugh, I can't even imagine how it must have been to _not_ have one of these to use for a thousand years," she uttered casually, when she was done.

"That was the least of the problems, love. Everything _reeked_. I really am a fan of the 20th and the 21. century," he answered, casual himself.

She grabbed a blood bag out of the cooler, he copied her action.

Both of them fed in silence, there was no awkward vampire-face-incident and in the peaceful light of a bright new day everything seemed a hell of a lot better than the night before.

She hoped he'd just leave her alone.

He bit his lip and took a deep breath and then spoke up, as if he had prepared for this. "Look, Caroline. The truth is I don't really know how to apologize for my indiscretions. I clearly overstepped my boundaries and behaved in a manner that was unacceptable. I promise you, it's a mistake I don't plan on repeating."

Fuck. That much about leaving her alone.

She had to admit, Klaus was good with words. Fortunately she knew better than to believe him. He had already shown his true colors the night before, she wasn't about to make the same mistake again. The two of them just wouldn't be able to have a proper conversation, her being brutally honest and him being stuck in his twisted world view.

"You know it's not that easy, do you?" She answered, still indifferent.

He paused. "I do. I intend to earn your forgiveness."

She knew that just yesterday, she would have felt uncomfortable with this statement, overwhelmed with his blatant forwardness. Now, she wasn't, actually. She didn't care. It made her wonder – that meant that she had _cared_ in the first place. Of course she had, after all the moments they shared since her birthday, after him only showing her the nicest sides of him. She was a little angry at herself. 'Too smart to be seduced by you', huh?

Somehow she now was actually glad about the previous events. Last night had truly been an awakening, setting her back to her right mind.

But she was Caroline and being blunt and straightforward was one of her key qualities.

"Klaus, just stop this please. It's not like someone magically made you say the things you said. Last time I checked you were in full control of your brain, so don't try to get out of the affair like that. At least adhere to your actions. But stop – I don't even want to know your reasons. Just – can we, like, agree to behave civil for as long as we're in here? And mean it this time?"

He frowned. "I _am_ honest. Usually I tend to be in better control of my impulses. I sincerely planned on behaving 'civil', as you phrase it."

"Yeah, we both know how that worked out."

His frown deepened. "If I remember correctly I wasn't the only one who got a little ahead of himself, was I?"

"You see, Klaus, that's exactly what I mean. You're overstepping your boundaries, once again. You talk as if I owe you some kind of behavior, as if you have the right to judge my actions. You talk as if there is some kind of relationship between us with a balance to maintain between giving and taking. There isn't, Klaus. All there is, is that we're stuck in this cave, I won't take your shit and you seem to like me for some reason. Just because you are interested in someone that doesn't oblige that person to behave towards you in any kind of way."

Klaus now looked thoroughly shocked. He opened his mouth as if to say something but then closed it again.

"I am a person, Klaus. I make my own decisions. I know you're not really familiar with that concept but I don't care. I'm not having anyone treat me that way. I just want you to try and behave yourself. Is that possible?"

Klaus face was the embodiment of the word 'confusion', different expressions crossing his face.

As confident as she acted, she herself was quite confused as well.

With only as much as two sentences he had somehow pulled her right back in again, trying to explain to him where he went wrong. The end of her monologue had been a cop-out, an attempt to turn things back around to the indifferent attitude she had carried so self-righteously just moments ago.

This needed to stop.

She picked up a blood bag, the bottle of soda and the magazine, heading off into the tomb. "Caroline?" he asked, his voice unsettled.

"I need some alone time right now. Please be so nice and let me have it."

Without waiting for a response she wandered off into the tunnel, trying to take her mind off the question whether her words could actually have had some kind of effect in him.


	5. Chapter 5

 

 

It was early afternoon when she had read through the stupid magazine countless times. She'd drunk the blood bag – she fed a lot more in here than she normally did, there was not much else to do – and the soda. Other than render her bored out of her mind her 'alone time' hadn't really helped. Sorting out her mind had done nothing but further revealed the dilemma she was in.

Here she was, trapped in the tomb with Klaus who was not only shamelessly pursuing her but also acting like a bull in a china shop doing it. He was unable to respect others as persons and treat them accordingly and was most likely not going to learn that lesson anytime soon. Yet, he had the uncanny ability to unsettle her whenever she was sure she'd resigned and given up on making him understand that. She should probably even be happy that after all this he was still interested in her. He was Klaus, after all, and considering the statistics it was a minor miracle that she was still alive at this point.

It was a tricky situation. On the one hand he made it clear that he at least had the intention to treat her decently, which gave her basis to act like she normally would with anybody else and not take any shit from him. On the other hand doing that felt like she actually _cared_ about making things right with him, a thought she didn't exactly welcome. So could she blow him off again and again – which actually made her feel like a mean bitch until she reminded herself of who he was – without risking him getting fed up with her and deciding to just kill her off – because of exactly that: who he was? She felt like she was being held hostage and slowly developing Stockholm syndrome. This whole thing was off, simply because their starting ground wasn't even.

How should she preserve her personal integrity without putting herself in mortal danger?

Moreover, she was afraid of her big mouth. It had always been one of her biggest flaws – if not _the_ biggest flaw – that she was unable to not speak her mind when put in a situation like this. She felt this pulling _urge_ to just push this stuff into his hypocrite face and have him deal with it.

Which was stupid because if his interest in her really wasn't all that serious he'd either just kill her off or use this information to manipulate her, and if it wasn't he'd try and develop a relationship/ friendship which she didn't want to have. Or did she?

If there was one thing she was definitely sure of, it was that she shouldn't. It was a bad idea on every level and she was a rational person when it came to decisions like this.

So basically, she knew exactly what her problem was, but that only seemed to keep her farther away from a solution. Therefore she just kept hiding from him. If she'd be able to avoid confrontation, she'd at least not make it worse than it already was.

Unfortunately, he seemed to see things differently for she could hear him rising from his sitting spot and then his footsteps, approaching her.

She sighed, brazing herself for the unavoidable confrontation.

He halted I front of her and she looked up at him.

His stance was confident as ever, although there was a hint of cautiousness in his expression. "I believe you might have had enough alone time by now. Correct me in case I'm mistaken."

She bit her lip. She wasn't really sure how to answer. It was tempting, really, to just return back to the entrance of the cave. After all, she was bored out of her mind.

She rose, grabbing the magazine as well as the empty soda and blood bag.

He frowned, nodding into the direction of her sleeping equipment. "Do you genuinely plan on spending another night back here?"

"Definitely," she answered, turning on her heels and walking back to the entrance. He followed.

She sat down on her usual spot – not that she valued having a 'usual spot' in this stupid hell hole – and he did the same, putting on a serious expression as he fixed his gaze onto hers.

"I think you and I need to have a conversation. And this time you are going to let me have my turn in talking, as well."

She took a deep breath. This didn't sound too good.

"I realize you seem to be of the impression that I do not value your personal integrity. I apologize for that, but rest assured that I do," he went on, "I do, however, value my own, too. And I do not appreciate being scolded like a child. I have read books on this subject, Caroline, followed the philosophical debate concerning the issue. I admit I haven't been too keen on putting this knowledge to practical use but that has changed with you." He paused, as if to emphasize the last part of his sentence. She felt another flip in her stomach.

"I would propose that you continue to point out whenever you feel I overstepped your boundaries. I will take your observations into account. I, however, claim the same right for myself. Let me repeat this: I am a grown man, Caroline, I do not appreciate being scolded like a child."

She was stunned speechless. Did he just _put her into place_ about _her_ behavior?

"That said I wanted to repeat my apology for the events of last night."

He looked at her expectantly, waiting for her response.

She frowned. In some twisted way he was right. What wasn't right, however, was the Stockholm syndrome aspect of this whole thing. He had basically forced her into a situation where they had to interact; it wasn't like she could just walk off and withdraw herself from the situation for longer than a few hours. And that's what she would do, if she were out of here right now. She didn't want to have any kind of interaction with Klaus, especially considering the way he seemed to have this way of unsettling her continuously recently. But was this whole thing really his fault? He had compelled her to share his fate, but it had been a fate that she had brought on. It was only rational for him to do that. Plus it wasn't like she was getting hurt or anything.

She _should_ be indifferent or at least over his choice to compel her to enter by now. But she wasn't and that was what made the whole thing a whole lot more uncomfortable for her. It meant that she had to get away from him as soon as possible.

"I have to leave," she mumbled while getting up, heading towards the back of the tomb.

He caught her arm, standing next to her, an instant later and a frown on his face.

"Why do you run from me, Caroline? I don't recall misbehaving in any way."

She snapped.

"Has it ever occurred to you, _Klaus_ , that I maybe, just maybe, don't want to interact with you? You forced me into this situation! Stop – I know, I get it. It was a rational decision and makes total sense. But still: this whole thing is happening on uneven ground, don't you get it? I have no choice about being in this situation. You cannot establish any decent kind of interaction on the basis that one of the participants doesn't want to take part of it."

His frown deepened, and looked away, seemingly considering her words.

"You're angry at me for compelling you to enter," he stated after some time.

" _No_! I mean, _yes_ – I don't know. Just –"she ripped her arm from the light grip he had held it in.

The frown on his face faded to reveal an expression of awe and shock.

He gulped, looking down nervously, then his eyes shot back up again and he laid both of his hands on her shoulders. She flinched, ready to complain but the seriousness with which looked at her stole her breath.

"Listen to me, Caroline. I am not going to force you into anything. I am giving you a choice, right now. Do you want to spend your time with me or not? Because I _will_ respect your choice and leave you alone, if that's what you want."

Through all this his tone didn't falter. She, on the other hand, felt like her heart would have stopped dead in its tracks if it had still been beating. Where the hell had this come from, again? Whenever she thought she'd figured him or her attitude towards him out he'd just render it meaningless with whatever he did next.

What should her answer be? To her discontent she knew exactly what she _wanted_ to choose. No, she didn't want to spend another minute alone in this stupid tomb. But above all she didn't want him to 'leave her alone'. That should really disturb her more than anything. She _should_ choose to say no just because of that, should she?

But she _was_ in control, wasn't she? She didn't need to prove anything to herself! So what if he was entertaining. It was a ridiculous idea that she'd have to spend days alone in a fucking cave because she didn't want to like liking being around Klaus.

Hell, if this worked out and he turned out to be honest they could even become friends. And she could _use_ that to keep him from terrorizing her friends. She would be fucking _stupid_ if she didn't take this chance!

"Alright, I'll stay," she answered, breathlessly, trying to appear casual.

His eyes widened.

"Are you sure, Caroline?" he asked, searching her eyes for the answer.

She brushed his hands off her shoulders and took a step back.

"Yes. But one thing Klaus –"

His head darted up, a slight frown appearing on his face while he was biting his lip nervously.

"Bodily contact is an overstepped boundary."

He grinned widely as relief spread in his face.

"Of course, love."


	6. Chapter 6

"So, uhm, how was your day?" she broke the awkward silence that followed their return to the entrance. She sat with her knees pulled to her chest, her arms laid on top of them.

"Well, considering that I didn't have the good fortune of someone providing me with a magazine, I'd have to say notably boring. But I've had worse. And yours?"

"Duh, I read through this in like 10 minutes. Wasn't all that fun either."

Well, this was a deep conversation. She sighed. What had she expected? After spending half of the day alone she'd gotten her hopes up to be provided with some kind of entertainment when she agreed to return back to the entrance of the cave. Instead she found herself caught up in an awkward silence, not knowing what to say. Plus, for some deranged reason, she also caught herself avoiding looking at him or holding eye contact.

He didn't seem bored at all, and even though he'd refrained from staring this time, every time she felt his gaze fix on her, she started to feel very self conscious and ultimately uncomfortable.

"I found this, however," he began, holding up one of the bourbon bottles.

She groaned. "Seriously?"

"I can't think of a better way to pass the time. In fact, I can, but I suppose I should refrain from voicing it since I don't plan on making you call me out on overstepping your boundaries, just yet."

Ignoring the obvious, boundary-blasting parts of his words, she shook her head.

"Can't we at least wait until evening?" she asked.

He set down the bottle and made a feigned defeated expression, raising both of his hands in a playful gesture of surrender. "Fair enough."

She grabbed another box of cookies, opened it and started eating.

After some time he started talking again.

"So I have a suggestion to make. How about we continue that little game of ours –" She broke out in a frown, "without the alcohol part. In addition to that I would propose we remove the obligation to answer if we are uncomfortable with the question."

She thought for a minute. This wasn't that bad. And it would end the uncomfortable silence.

"Fine."

He smiled. She looked away.

He didn't hesitate for long. "I believe it is my turn, love. Or do you want to begin this time?"

She thought about it for a moment.

"I will start. Maybe this is a little much for the beginning, but I guess we haven't gone easy on each other before, so… are you really sorry for yesterday, or do you just say that to get back into my good graces?"

He didn't seem surprised. Did he already see through her after such a short amount of time? The thought made her uncomfortable.

"I certainly didn't enjoy seeing you so upset, love. I do regret causing that." She bit her lip nervously. She wasn't happy about this, not at all.

He continued, frowning pensively.

"I also… I acted impulsively last night. I regret… losing control like that. That doesn't happen often."

She gulped. She should be seeing this as a red flag. Being locked up in a cave with an impulsive serial killer was not among her favorite places to be.

"And what makes you so sure you won't be impulsive again?"

He raised his eyebrows.

"May I remind you that it's my turn, sweetheart? But I might make an exception this time. To answer your question: I underestimated your ability to unsettle me, love. I won't make that mistake again."

She blushed. 'Unsettle him'. And here she was thinking he was the one making her uncomfortable. She felt shivers run down her spine.

"Now on to my first question for I believe you owe me two, now. What is your relationship to Stefan Salvatore?"

Her head shot up. So he had caught on to that.

"He saved me," she answered. Klaus looked at her expectantly.

"I… I was alone when I turned. I didn't even know… well, I remembered somewhere during the transition that there were vampires and what they did. But I didn't know how to deal with it or what to do. I just woke up in the hospital and there was blood everywhere, and the sun… it hurt." She gulped, closing her eyes for a moment. "Later I… accidently killed someone. There was this guy and he was bleeding, and… If Stefan hadn't saved me Damon would have killed me off, just like Vicki." As expected his expression had turned stony again. And she didn't enjoy that, no, not one bit. "Anyway, Stefan taught me how to survive without becoming a monster. He pulled me through this. Hell, I was a bitch back then. He had no reason whatsoever to help me, except maybe Elena. But I believe that's not all there is. He is my best friend. If he hadn't been there I wouldn't be alive today."

Klaus took a few controlling breaths. Then he seemed to be contemplating his next question.

"Who was the vampire that compelled you?"

"What?" she asked. How did he – damn, she should have been more careful with her words. Her mind was racing. He couldn't know about Damon. He would – without a doubt – kill him if he knew. She couldn't just not answer the question; he'd probably compel his answer out of one of her friends. The best option she had was to play it down.

"This one time I saw something I shouldn't have, Damon feeding, actually, and he compelled me to forget it."

His gaze hardened.

"I thought we were supposed to be honest, Caroline."

He would always use her name instead of his pet names if it got serious. How did it get serious this fast again?!

"I am!" she protested, but even she herself could have read through this lie.

"It might be a good thing you drank that vervein, Caroline, or I might feel compelled to just force my answer out of you."

Her jaw dropped. Luckily he realized his mistake before she could start throwing a tantrum.

"I take that back. I apologize. I… lost my temper, there," he looked at her, his eyes pleading. Then hurt settled in them. "Why would you lie to me, Caroline? You looked considerably distressed when I asked you that question, too distressed for that to be the answer."

How could he threaten her in one moment and make her feel guilty in the next? She was really developing Stockholm syndrome in here.

"You're cornering me again, Klaus," she answered, nervously playing with her hair.

He looked away, seeming distraught.

"Right. I apologize. If you want I can ask another question."

"Only if you promise not to try and get the information from anyone else when we get out of here."

His head snapped back to her, he was frowning, his mouth slightly opened. He looked as if he had been caught. "I… I can't promise that to you, Caroline. Because I would be lying."

She frowned and stared down at her feet. "Can't you… can't you wait until I'm ready to tell you?"

He gasped in surprise. So did she. Wait, what? Until she was ready to tell him? How about never!

He didn't stop staring and she evaded his gaze.

"I would," he finally said, his voice dry.

She should take her words back, but somehow she found herself unable to. Right, it would keep Damon save.

The uncomfortable silence began again and she felt his eyes on her as she kept hers on the ground.

"Who's Vicki?" he finally asked.

She sighed in relief. Good, finally on to a more comfortable subject - if your ex boyfriend's dead sister could be called a comfortable subject.

"Matt's sister. Damon turned her… for fun. He was different back then. She was a druggy, she couldn't handle the bloodlust. She almost killed Jeremy and Elena. They… they had to kill her. I didn't know anything about any of this until I turned. I was the one that found her corpse in the woods back then. I was with Matt at that time. Trust me, it wasn't fun walking up to your boyfriends house, knowing you'd have to tell him you found his supposedly out-of-town sister dead."

"Bloody hell, Caroline," he cursed, "Is there one thing you haven't been through in that short life of yours?"

"Well, I suppose the past year hasn't been easy on any of us."

Yeah, but did she really feel that bad about it? Strangely enough, she didn't. She smiled, looking back at him. "But it made me who I am today. I didn't like the person I was before all this began. I certainly didn't choose it, but I am glad about what I have become. You might not have guessed it, but I actually enjoy being a vampire. I have the urges under control, and the power that comes with package is just too good to pass up. I have grown in this past year – more than I'd ever thought I would."

Just as she expected Klaus looked at her in awe. But he didn't look surprised.

"You are exceptional, Caroline."

It made her feel uncomfortable. Then she realized she didn't just have to put up with that.

"Stop saying things like that, please. It's a boundary-breaker."

"So I'm not allowed to complement you?"

"Not like that."

"Like 'what'?"

"Klaus."

He smiled. "Okay, fine. I guess it's your turn, sweetheart."

She thought for a moment. "Whom of your siblings are you the closest to?"

He licked his lips. "That would be Rebekah. However, this might have changed for she had the audacity to kill my doppelganger."

Caroline frowned. "Elena is not your possession."

He elevated his brows. "Well, she's useless to me now, so I might just let her wander off into the sunset, eternally torn between the Salvatore brothers. The doppelgangers tend to have their way of tearing apart brothers."

Yeah, Katherine, the stupid bitch. But Elena was nothing like her.

"Who turned you?" She could have sworn he knew. This would really be a strange coincidence. Then again she figured he'd probably been wanting to ask that question since the Stefan-answer.

"Uh, I don't really know, technically. I had been in an accident. I was pretty badly injured, so I guess Damon gave me his blood while I was unconscious. That was about the time when Katherine showed up here for the first time. She knew I had Damon's blood in my system. She visited me in the hospital and I thought she was Elena. And then she started smothering me with my pillow. She did it to send a message."

He ground his teeth.

"She turned you to offer you up as my vampire sacrifice."

Her head shot up. "Yeah, that. I forgot. So she did really plan to offer me up?"

"Katarina made the mistake of assuming she could buy her freedom after making me chase her for five hundred years. I don't happen to be very forgiving in such matters."

She gulped. How could she possibly need a reminder that she was imprisoned in a cave with a psychopath? An apparently very vengeful psychopath. She started questioning herself again. Had she made a deal with the devil here? How could she waste her time worrying about 'liking' spending time with him when the obvious danger of his affinity to kill and torture people was the elephant in the room? She tightened her grip around her knees and shifted backwards a little.

She had never liked Katherine, damn, that bitch had killed her. But he had made her that way. She couldn't imagine running from Klaus for five hundred years. A shiver went down her spine.

He seemed to notice her change in demeanor but he didn't address it.

They shared a moment of silence.

"You should write your friend Bonnie a text message explaining our arrangement," he suddenly stated.

She frowned. "What?"

"She is going to try something and keep me in here or something of that notion when she has the curse lifted. I am afraid our arrangement will lose its legitimacy then. So you should inform her about our arrangement in order to keep her from doing anything stupid."

That made sense. Except – "Why a text message?"

"There's a chance she is going to assume I forced you to deliver that message. If you write a text message you could have written it without me knowing. It increases your believability."

Wow, he had really thought ahead. Why was she even surprised, this was Klaus.

"Okay."

She pulled out her mobile phone and wrote Bonnie a message.

Klaus is going to leave you alone if you free him, I made a deal. Don't try anything stupid, Bon, please, I beg you.

He held out his open hand, wordlessly demanding to see the message. She clutched to her phone.

"No. That's none of your business."

"Oh, I believe it is, sweetheart." His expression was serious.

"We made a deal, that's where your business ends."

They began a staring contest. She was not about to let him control her like that.

They were interrupted by the buzz of her phone. She lowered her gaze to it.

What kind of deal? Are you okay, Care? Did he do anything to you?

She bit her lip. What would she tell Bonnie? If someone had told her they'd made a deal with Klaus including a game of truth or dare, she wouldn't have believed it. Maybe she should tone it down a bit.

I'm fine. I don't really get it but I think he has kind of a crush on me. He just wanted to talk to me in exchange for not coming after you. I know it sounds crazy. But I'm pretty sure he's serious.

She looked back up at Klaus, worried that he'd somehow tried to read her messages. He had turned his head, looking out of the tomb, his brows furrowed. Good. Quickly she erased the conversation. When she was done Bonnie's reply arrived.

Be careful, Care. This is Klaus. But okay, I'll trust you on that one.

Well, that had been easy. Maybe Bonnie was still suspicious and was just lying. She hoped not. She did, however, hope Bonnie would have a backup plan in case Klaus changed his mind.

She erased the last message, and put her mobile in her pocket.

"All done."

He didn't react.

That's when she heard the footsteps, human footsteps. Someone was approaching them.

Her eyes widened. Quickly a few pictures of Klaus luring the innocent person into the cave to drain them flashed before her eyes. Agitated she looked at him. He returned her gaze.

She sighed in relief, when she saw that the approaching human was her mum.

Quickly, she was up on her feet. "Mum!"

Her mother looked worried, her brows furrowed. She walked up to Caroline until her daughter could pull into an awkward hug. She returned it and then drew back, eying her daughter warily. Next she gave Klaus, who had risen to his feet too, a suspicious glance.

"Honey, are you okay?"

Caroline smiled softly. "Mum, I'm fine."

Her mother however, took a step towards Klaus, her hands resting on her hips and eyed him with open distrust.

"Sheriff," he said, giving her a brief nod, "I assure you, your daughter is perfectly safe in my company."

Liz didn't really look convinced.

"As far as I know you are the one responsible for her being in this situation."

"Well, let's say that this responsibility goes both ways. I have, however, decided that I am satisfied with that as far as retaliation is concerned. We are even. I do not plan to harm a hair on her body, pre and post our release."

When exactly had this turned into a conversation between her mother and Klaus? This was rather irritating, and quite frankly, she didn't like it.

Her mother sighed, still looking concerned.

"Well, it's not like I can do anything, anyway." She turned her head back to her daughter. "Do you need anything, sweetie?"

Caroline thought for a moment. "Uh, in matters of food I think I'm good. But you could get me an air mattress. That would be really nice. Sleeping on that floor is not exactly comfortable."

Her mother nodded. Then she turned her head back to Klaus.

"Should I get one for you, too?"

Caroline bit her lip. He had to be uncomfortable, too. After all, he didn't even have a blanket or anything. But then again – weren't these modern luxuries? She figured he'd probably slept in worse conditions. On the other hand he tended to surround himself with luxuries, likely a habit he hadn't just acquired in the last century. God, he was centuries old. She couldn't really imagine what that would be like. A thousand more birthdays. Was that really what awaited her in the future?

She didn't really like her mother conversing with him as if it was the most normal thing in the world. He was dangerous, the original hybrid. Although her mother was part of the Council, she didn't even know half of what went on in Mystic Falls, what went on in the realm of the supernatural.

She herself, however, was now part of that. It was her domain, and she had proven that she could deal with it just perfectly. And that was exactly why her mother, human and fragile had to be kept out of this.

"Thank you for the offer but I think I will decline."

Klaus on an air mattress was a ridiculous idea, anyway.

Liz looked back Caroline. "Are you sure you'll be okay, sweetheart?"

How many times was she supposed to be asked that question today? "Yeah."

"Then I'll get the mattress for you. I'll be back soon."

Her arms crossed, Caroline watched her mother leaving. She sighed.

"Why didn't you take the offer?" she asked.

"I don't mind sleeping like this. Actually, I don't mind not sleeping at all. You forget how old I am, Caroline," he answered, sitting down again.

She looked down at him, pondering. "Whose turn is it?" she asked, finally.

"Mine, actually. Why don't you tell me what you think of the doppel- what you think of Elena's relation to the Salvatore brothers?"

Caroline thought for a moment.

"I think Elena and Stefan are epic. They are, like, the ultimate couple." She gave him an accusing look. "Unfortunately you really made it difficult for them." Klaus seemed absolutely unaffected.

"As for Damon – I wish he'd just disappear and leave them alone. I mean, he has done a pretty good job at taking care of Elena while you had abducted Stefan on your little murder spree, but still, Damon is still Damon. And I sure as hell don't appreciate him getting in between the two of them. They belong together."

She sighed.

"Why did you kidnap Stefan, anyway?"

He ground his teeth, annoyed. "I didn't kidnap Stefan, I made a deal with him."

"Yeah, a deal. That seems to be your thing, right? Only, that you took away his free will after that."

"He left me no choice! I tried ridding him of this ridiculous notion of humanity that he was clinging to, without using compulsion, but he just wouldn't cave in when it came to Elena."

"His humanity is not ridiculous!" She was fuming. "Humanity is not ridiculous!"

"Oh, come on. Don't tell me you prefer the whiny, grumpy Stefan to the Ripper. He's so much more entertaining." He smirked, devilishly, but it only made her nauseous.

She grimaced in a disgusted manner. "You're twisted." She said these words as menacingly as possible.

He saw a brief flicker of hurt cross his face, soon replaced by a stony expression. Was that supposed to scare her, huh?

"Careful love, you're about to break a boundary," he answered, his tone icy and tense.

"Seriously, how was I supposed to answer that? He's my best friend! I don't appreciate you insulting him. He's like a blood-alcoholic and you kinda drowned him in it and send him off to kill all those innocent people! I'm amazed he's even managed to forgive himself after that! That person that you call 'Ripper' is not the person he wants to be. It's what he fears the most! And you made him become that again! Personal integrity and stuff, remember?" She was worked up again. How could he not understand something as simple as this?

His expression was still tense.

"As I stated earlier, I tried to leave him his free will, but he just wouldn't budge."

"I'm not talking about his free will, and you know it. That's an entire different matter. Tell me, Klaus, why do you make such a fuss about understanding such simple things? Have you done so many terrible things that you think it doesn't matter anymore? That you don't have to repent for them anymore? Because you're wrong about that, you know?!"

Her speech was interrupted by a loud crashing noise that she heard before she had even seen him moving. Jumping up in instinctive self protection she found her back against the wall as she realized that he had punched a pretty damn deep hole into the wall behind him.

He was hunched over, facing the wall opposite to her, his arm still deep in the gaping hole in the stone. She was a vampire and she sure as hell was not weak, but she sincerely doubted that she was able to impact such a massive wall in that way.

"Boundary. Broken," he growled out between clenched teeth.

She gulped. This was really happening.

What had she been thinking? How could she possibly have assumed that throwing these things at Klaus would be a good idea? But she had been so angry! How could he not see that what he was doing was plainly wrong?! How could he say, hell, think these things without realizing the obvious flaws in them?

Stupid, she was stupid. It was obvious, really. Especially by the way he reacted just now. If he really was a psychopath, incapable of feelings, he wouldn't have done that. It was a defense mechanism, one that he had been using successfully for a thousand years. Someone had hurt him really badly, and he had reacted by lashing out, reducing himself to a monster because a monster couldn't be hurt. The one responsible for that had been his father, she knew that.

All Klaus had ever done – working towards breaking the curse placed on him, putting his siblings in coffins – was in order to serve that purpose. To protect himself, simple as that.

The problem was, first of all, that he had been doing this for a thousand years and the possibility of him changing his ways now was close to zero, and secondly, that he also happened to be the most powerful creature on the planet.

She went paralyzed at the realization just how dangerous the situation she was in was.

She had a loose tongue and additionally he somehow managed to continuously coax her into trying to break through his defenses and reach him, finally.

'He will kill you.' The thought was clear as glass in her mind and for a moment she was so panic-stricken, that she couldn't even get herself to try and come up with a way out of this.

He had turned around and straightened himself out, his expression still dark.

It softened up when he saw her obvious fright. There was still something predatory in it, but she also saw a hint of worry.

Slowly she took an unsteady breath, trying to regain her posture.

She needed to focus now, be rational. She'd deluded herself into thinking she was somewhat safe with him. Actually, that had probably started the day he'd saved her from Alaric.

"Caroline?" he asked, cautiously.

Wow, he really had some nerve.

"Just… leave me alone, okay?" She stumbled off into the tomb, actually really hoping he wouldn't come after her right now. She felt weak and she needed to sort out her brain before she could face him again.

Unfortunately he didn't catch up on that. She felt his steps behind her, although he didn't seem to dare touching her this time.

"Caroline," he repeated.

Eventually she stopped, hunching over placing her hand on the closest wall, leaning on it for support.

He stood a few steps away from her, but she couldn't care less about his sorry ass right now.

She needed to get out of here.

Now.

She took a few deep breaths.

Getting out was not possible, she had no control over that. She could, however, reduce the danger by stopping their conversation. She wouldn't stay back here, though, for her mother was bound to come back soon.

She straightened both her posture and her expression and then turned on her heels, walking back towards the entrance. Once she had passed him, she halted. She felt his gaze bore into her neck.

"I don't want to play this game anymore," she said, calmly.

Then she proceeded to make her way back to the site of the recent events that left her increasingly confused and troubled.

She sat down, exhausted.

He did the same, watching her warily.

"I am sorry, Caroline," he said, his voice cautious.

"I don't want to talk about it, Klaus. I don't want to talk about anything," she sighed, defeated and exhausted. This man was driving her crazy.

"So we're back to that again, are we?"

"Well, since any other conversation I have with you will eventually lead to you killing me, yes, we are."

He frowned, seemingly shocked by her words.

"I won't kill you, Caroline. I'd never even think of that. I thought I'd made that clear."

"You just punched a fucking crater into a stone wall!"

"And you agreed to us not breaking each other's boundaries," he replied, calmly.

"Yeah, you know, about that – it becomes increasingly difficult when you're being such an ass."

He took a deep breath, as he lowered his gaze, his mouth opened as if he was about to say something. Then his eyes shifted back up again, his head still lowered and he swiftly licked his lift.

"I apologize. You unsettled me. I told you-"

"Well, you unsettled me, too," she interrupted him. "And that is exactly why I think we should stop talking right now, because you'll keep unsettling me and then I'll unsettle you and – whoops – I'm dead."

He licked his lips again (Seriously, could he stop doing that – it was really distracting) and tilted his head to the right, gaze flickering away from her again. He looked as if he was seriously considering her words.

"I might have given you a false impression here. I'm not that impulsive, love. I would never really hurt you. I'm positive there'll always be a wall around in case I need to release some tension."

She groaned, indignantly. "Seriously? You plan on making that a habit?! You scared the living shit out of me, Klaus!" she exclaimed.

She could swear she saw his eyes flicker down to his hands.

"Caroline."

She shook her head. "God, I need to get out of here." She whispered, as she raised her hand to her forehead, resting her head on it.

Now he looked slightly panicked.

"Caroline," he repeated, pleadingly "I – I promise I'll behave. Just –"

"You've promised that before," she answered weakly.

"It's just – I am not used to be challenged in such a way. It's – refreshing, really. There are, however, some subjects I am not quite comfortable discussing. I'd prefer you'd avoid those. I am not going to hurt you."

"How am I supposed to believe that? I told you, you agitate me, too. How am I supposed to know when I cross a line? How am I supposed to have an honest conversation with you if you don't let me get through to you!"

Fuck. How did this get to her making another involuntary confession?

His expression suggested that he couldn't quite decide between being delighted or terrified by it.

Oh, and hello, here it was again, the part of her that knew that she should the hell not want to do anything with him, shouldn't care about anything concerning him, except for that someone better managed to stop him from wreaking havoc on Mystic Falls, soon.

She was conflicted, again.

Suddenly she heard footsteps again. Quickly, she rose to her feet and straightened herself out.

She avoided looking at him until her mother arrived, welcoming the distraction.

"Mom!" she exclaimed, a little too joyful.

"Here you go, sweetheart." Her mother handed her an air mattress as well as an inflation device. Caroline set them down on the floor beside where she stood.

Her mother eyed Caroline, then her gaze flickered to Klaus and back to her daughter.

"Are you sure you're okay."

Caroline's eyes flickered to the apparent evidence of Klaus earlier 'release of tension', fortunately Klaus was standing right in front of it, giving her a knowing glance.

She wouldn't worry her mother.

"Yes," she said, as reassuringly as she could. It sounded authentic.

"Bonnie and Tyler will find a way soon, I'm sure."

Liz nodded.

"Well, I must be going. I still have work to do."

Caroline smiled weakly. "Of course. See you soon, mom."


	7. Chapter 7

She stayed on her feet, watching her mother leave again.

Evening was falling and she realized that she really liked the atmosphere. The air was still warm and a slight breeze carried the scents of the forest. She heard birds and the rustling of some other small animals. But it was the light which was most beautiful about the scenery. She sighed, loosing herself in the moment. It was a welcome distraction.

It was broken, however, by the sound of Klaus operating the inflation device. When she turned her head to look at him, she couldn't suppress a snort. Klaus using his foot to pump air into a mattress was clearly a sight to behold.

He looked back at her.

"What?"

She broke out in laughter, hiding her mouth with her hand.

After a moment of irritation a smile spread on his face. "Now, love, tell me, what is it that amuses you so?"

She shook her head, getting herself under control again, she couldn't stop grinning, though. "Nothing, just- you and that thing. It just looks like – you two shouldn't even coexist."

Klaus looked down at the mattress and then back at her, grinning..

"Well, one could say we are from different centuries," and started chuckling. She couldn't help but start laughing again, and he joined her.

Klaus laughing, candidly. She hadn't really expected to ever see that. Usually every grin or smirk he wore held at least some kind of mirth or cynicism. Now every trace of that was gone, he almost looked like an entirely different person – young, happy, careless. She was surprised by how much she liked the sight; it gave her a warm fuzzy feeling.

She caught herself staring just as he did, and she felt another blush creeping up her face as his smile slowly gave way to an intense penetrating look that made her evade his gaze quickly. She felt an uncomfortable pulling sensation in her chest.

He proceeded in his mattress-inflation-activity and she let herself sink down the wall behind her, into a crouching position, starting to grin again.

She took another look outside, the light had turned even more beautiful, and she looked up at the sky, watching a beautiful sunset.

Maybe things weren't that bad after all.

When he was done with the mattress Klaus opened the ice box and took out two blood bags and then fetched the two bottles of bourbon he had placed behind it. He handed her one of each and sat down leaning on the wall opposed to her, in his usual relaxed position, one leg stretched and one bent.

She frowned down at the alcohol in her hand and looked back at him.

"You requested we'd wait until evening." He smirked, stretching out his arm towards the sunset outside. "I am pretty confident that this qualifies as the break of night."

He opened up his bottle and took the first slug.

"No worries, you're not obliged to drink anything if you don't want to. And we're not engaging in any game. You stated earlier that you didn't want to do that anymore, if I remember correctly. We don't need the settings of a game to have a conversation, do we?" He smiled reassuringly.

She licked her lips and nodded, still hesitant.

The hole in the wall was still quite visible right above him.

He seemed to have caught on to the direction of her glance and started frowning, trying to catch her eyes.

"We can, however, establish another set of rules. If you so wish I can refrain from landscaping this place."

She grinned at that. He still had a way with words.

"Yeah, I'd like that." Then she thought for a moment.

"Maybe we could stay away from the heavy subjects. And keep on pointing out when some boundary is broken." He nodded. "And if there is some heavy subject we want to get into – let's face it, we're gonna get drunk – we should ask for permission first."

He nodded again, appreciatively.

"That sounds fairly viable, love."

She smiled and eased up a little, stretching out her legs. She turned her head to continue watching the sunset while she opened her own bottle and took a small sip.

She was a lot more comfortable and pleased then she should feel. But she decided to just stop worrying for now. It wasn't gonna get her anywhere. She might really be getting somewhere with him. Maybe they could really become friends in some curious way and she could carefully push him towards leaving her friends alone. After all, they had tried to kill him. After how he'd reacted to Katherine running from becoming the doppelganger-sacrifice she figured he wouldn't let them off the hook that easily, either.

But right now he was here with her, and he was really trying to make her comfortable. Even when she'd pushed his buttons – he hadn't lashed out at her physically. She had every reason to believe she was as safe as she could possibly be under the circumstances.

"So you said you've never been anywhere. Is there any place in particular you'd like to visit?"

Rome, Paris, Tokyo. Yes, she remembered. One of the instances in which he'd made her pause and think. Just like the day he'd made Tyler bite her only to save her life later. He'd really had a profound influence on her then, giving her perspectives she hadn't ever really thought of before.

"I never really thought I'd ever be able to leave the states. I was sure I'd get to see New York one day, maybe LA or something. But I've never really thought about it, you know. It wasn't in perspective."

Until he'd made her think about it. But she really didn't want to go into that.

"There are so many interesting places in this world. And each one holds a history so rich that most of it is lost to humankind – forever. My offer still stands. I can take you wherever you want."

She smiled, trying to evade the subject. Seeing the world, travelling, guided by someone who knew it better than anyone else on the whole planet really was an exciting prospect.

But this was still Klaus, and there'd be a point when they'd both leave the tomb and then everything would be different. She doubted there'd be room for conversations like that, never mind the idea of traveling the world.

She snorted. "Nah, I'm good."

He sighed in feigned indifference. "Well, it's your loss, sweetheart."

"I have time. I'm probably gonna travel at some point. At this point I have to worry about the here and now."

His expression turned serious and he leaned in a little, taking a slug of bourbon. When he started talking his voice was rough.

"And you should. Watching humanity evolve… let's say it was worth the time. But make no mistake; I'm not talking about a pretty story here.

Your whole world is built on blood. Every luxury you own – let me assure you at some point somebody died for it. Millions of animals are tortured and murdered for that pretty little makeup you wear or that bag you carry. The ground you sit upon was stolen from people who certainly didn't give it up for free. Every advancement costs reams of lives.

It's the blood, the pain, the terrible things that create the greatest beauty. And beauty there is, this world is covered in it – beauty and blood."

He halted there, making somewhat of a dramatic pause.

She gulped. His perspective of the world really was dark. It made him and everything he had done look relatively tame or at least appropriate in the context. But that wasn't all there was –right? If it was as easy as there being one right perspective on the world people wouldn't spend so much time arguing. And she knew that wasn't all there was, she'd seen it.

What his words did say, however, was a lot about him and the way he experienced the world. It was a scary and merciless place. She shuddered even imagining it.

"And that's exactly why it is a world that is truly made for us, vampires.

Excuse me when I laugh while you people speak of 'humanity'.

'Humanity' has this ignorant way of naming the most honorable characteristics after itself. Reveals a great deal of humbleness, doesn't it? I believe that originates from the period of enlightenment.

Mind-blowing time, after all this boring church-business – it changed everything. Until then life was miserable and short, even for those who were better off. But it was bloody easy to make a kill without anyone noticing or caring.

This world you know – trust me, it's fragile. It won't last forever.

Before you know it everything will change and you'll have to adapt quicker than sentimentalities allow if you want to survive.

But I believe I can trust you to meet that challenge, if anyone, can I, Caroline?"

He looked at her expectantly.

No, she wouldn't let him turn this around on her. He presented it as if he was expressing a warning, advice but to her it sounded all but like a confession.

She looked back at him, sadness in her eyes.

"What a dark world it is, you live in."

He seemed genuinely taken aback by her words. A raw emotion was showing in his eyes, it made him look like a wounded animal. He opened his mouth as if to say something but then stopped and looked away, lifting his bottle to his mouth.

She sighed and took a few slugs from her bottle, too.

The light of day had almost faded now, creating an eerie atmosphere. Why wasn't she out this time of the evening more often?

She found herself feeling melancholic, burdened by the weight of his words, the world around her painted blue. She dwelled in the taste of alcohol on her tongue and downed another sip to enrich it. Sometimes darkness was a beautiful thing, he was right about that.

Finally he broke the silence.

"It is the same world you live in, sweetheart. How could you possibly be so foolish to believe otherwise, after all you've been through?" His words were harsh and his voice was rough but his eyes betrayed him.

And that was when she truly understood, once and for all, that he was lost.

"I know that there is light and kindness and beauty, some even without any blood or darkness to balance it out. Because I've seen it. And I believe in it and work for it every day because it is worth it."

He frowned, looking down. Then he cleared his throat and a half-hearted smirk crept up his face.

"I suppose I have already broken my first rule here. I apologize. The nature of the world and humanity would presumably be considered a 'heavy subject'. So, in retrospect – is it alright if I talk to you about that, love?"

She smiled warmly. The irony was not lost on her that he chose to end this conversation like this.

"It's okay."

She took another sip.

"As I can see you seem to have acquired a taste for bourbon. Very well," he stated, appreciatively.

She nodded. "It's good, actually. I like it."

"This however, is nothing to the stack I keep at home. You should come over and try it one of these days."

She snorted. "Not going to happen."

"Well, I suppose it was worth a try," he answered in feigned defeat.

She giggled. "You're not gonna stop trying, are you?"

His expression turned serious again. "Now why should I do that, love?"

She frowned. Wasn't it obvious? Maybe it was not, to him.

"Well, above all, I am spoken for. And then there's the fact that you literally came into this town to murder my best friend. Which you did, along with her aunt who was a perfectly innocent amazing person who tried very hard to take care of two teenagers while she was way too young for that and didn't in the least deserve what you did to her. Before that you tried to kill my other best friend. After all this you took my other best friend and turned him into a monster. Then you killed my boyfriend and made him your fucking slave. Do I really have to explain to you why I'm not exactly excited about the fact that you 'fancy' me?" She closed her eyes and sighed, bringing herself down again. When she opened them again, her tone was conciliating. "Look, I don't want to make you angry. I just think you need to understand things from my point of view."

He was clearly not exactly happy, but he too, was pulling himself together. He took a slug.

"I suppose that is how things appear from your perspective. I am trying." He gave her another of these intense looks that made her jump. She hadn't reacted like this, yesterday, had she? This was not good.

"But rest assured that I have my reasons for everything I do."

She drank some of the alcohol, then smiled and nodded. "Oh, I know."

He frowned. "Why, Caroline, what do you mean by that?"

"Control. You're afraid of not being in control, and that is why you have to make sure you are, no matter what the cost. Being a monster means being save. I know, I've been there. I used to be really insecure."

He licked his lips. (He should really stop doing that.)

"What is it that you were insecure about?"

She bit her lip and considered whether she should be open about it while she took a swig. She decided to go with it.

"To be honest I felt as if I was always the second choice, with my father leaving us and my mother always making work her priority. And everybody always seemed to pick Elena over me in basically everything."

His frown deepened and a look of surprise crossed his face.

"The doppelganger? You felt inferior to the doppelganger?"

Ignoring the degrading way in which he addressed her best friend she shook her head.

"It was my fault, really. I just didn't get it, because I was so insecure. I thought it was all a game and I didn't understand why I kept losing. Until I learned that that was my mistake."

The frown left his face, leaving a solemn expression.

"But it is. Everything is a game, Caroline. You just have to learn the rules – and more importantly – how to cheat."

She had been right about him.

"Is that why it's so easy for you to kill and hurt people?"

"I play to win."

There was sadness in her voice when she voiced what would probably be considered a boundary breaker. "And that's why you're alone."

The frown returned to his face, as well as a flicker of hurt and vulnerability.

He took a few big slugs then cleared his throat.

"Perhaps. But you should know that the notion that you are in any kind of way inferior to the doppelganger is completely and utterly ridiculous."

She smiled knowingly.

"Oh, I know. That is so long ago, I don't even consider myself the same person anymore. I got myself my portion of self-confidence. I'm awesome." She grinned smugly, halfway mocking her former statement.

He started smiling, too, another one of these adorable, genuine smiles – wait, what?! She swallowed and looked away, turning to the bottle again. Worried she noted that she'd already gone through a quarter of it. She also noticed that she was feeling tipsy.

"That's the understatement of the century."

She looked back at him and shook her head, laughing.

"You really don't get it, do you? I told you before – I'm too smart to be seduced by you."

His smile broadened and this time she couldn't get herself to look away.

"As I told you before – that's why I like you. Part of it, anyways."

She saw that he'd already outrun her in matters of drinking. She decided to try and keep up with him and drunk more. She really enjoyed the taste.

She enjoyed this, whatever this was, with him trying for her and being all charming and stuff without breaking any boundaries or being menacing. The man sitting before her seemed to be an entirely different person from the monster she'd come to hate.

Her heart ached at the thought. She realized that she really really liked this person. The drunken haziness and lowered inhibition made her want to give a voice to the feeling that rushed over her.

"Sometimes I wish I could forget all the horrible things you have done."

She was surprised by herself. She was even more surprised that she didn't feel regret about saying it.

Live had returned to his expressive eyes. He was clearly taken aback by that statement.

"Why?" He finally asked, his voice rough.

She gave him a disarmed smile and answered. "You're pretty nice if you try."

Her eyes shifted back to the gaping hole above his head. "But then there's the murderous psychopath-thingy and this pretty much ruins that."

He flinched, looking away for a second, then bit his lip and let his gaze return to hers.

"I'm trying."

She nodded. "I get that. Still, I won't forget and you cannot expect me to."

He looked away again. "I don't. But this is who I am. I can't help it. And frankly, I don't want to." He sounded resigned but there was a desperate edge to his voice.

"No," she answered, catching his eyes with hers. "You made yourself believe that this is who you are. But I don't believe you."

He took a deep sigh and shook his head. "I'd be delighted if we could switch the subject."

It hurt a little. She wanted to get through to him, to reach him, to make him understand, to understand him. As she turned her head she felt a little dizzy. Something about this was off.

"Yeah, I should probably be happy you didn't punch anything yet." She mumbled.

He elevated his eyebrows at her, obviously assessing her state. As a retort he took a huge slug of his bottle.

She felt uncomfortable under his gaze. She felt a shiver run down her spine.

"What's your favorite movie?"

She frowned. Okay, this was an unexpected question.

"The Notebook."

He smirked. "A little cheesy, but I guess that's what's to be expected."

She snorted. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It's supposed to mean that I am not the only person here who supposedly made himself believe to be something he is not."

She leaned forward a little, angry.

"What?"

He lowered his head and smirked up at her and although there was mirth in his eyes there also was softness in them. "I'm guessing you felt you had to limit yourself to the cliché version of a high school cheerleader."

She gasped. How dare he? Honestly, what shocked her even more was that he wasn't exactly wrong. Back when she was human she'd tried to compensate for her inferiority complex by trying to be the cliché blonde cheerleader-slut. While she'd excelled in appearing as such – it had never really been who she was. She'd caught herself playing dumb a lot of the times and while she tried to hook up with every new hot guy in town she'd actually lost her virginity to Damon. Her stomach turned at the thought and she actually flinched a little. Damn alcohol.

His look turned worried. "What's wrong, Caroline?"

She cleared her throat and took another slug. It was too late, anyway. "Nothing. What's yours?"

He tilted his head. It was adorable. "My what?"

"You're favorite movie," she stated.

He smiled broadly "That actually is a very difficult one. I cannot decide."

"It's gotta be something old."

He raised his eyebrows again and grinned. "Why would you think that?"

"Old people always like old stuff. Everybody always talks about how everything was better in the past when they get to a certain age."

He nodded appreciatively. "That is true, it's a sharp observation you made there. It is, however, psychologically allegeable. Humans stop developing their taste at about the age of 25."

Yes, that made sense. She drank a little more, reveling in the taste, the dizziness as well as the sound of his voice as he talked.

"I happen to be a little older than that, though, so my taste in movies would have constituted itself a thousand years before the medium has even been invented. Let me assure you that the quality of human culture has done nothing but improved. Recently at a rate that leaves me genuinely astonished. The 20th has honestly been my favorite one so far, and I am looking forward to observing how the 21st turns out."

Once again her interest was sparked and she felt instant excitement about the prospect of living to see that as well. She had almost forgotten how old he was.

"That makes me feel like a baby."

He frowned at the suggestion. "Trust me, Caroline, you are anything but. I told you before. Being a vampire should change your perception of time." He took another slug of his drink, now a little more than halfway through.

She sighed and leaned back to the wall. Suddenly she felt uncomfortable in her jacket. She didn't need it anyway. Quickly she shrugged it off and while being in the process, got rid of her hair tie, too.

Okay, she should have anticipated that reaction, it still took her off guard.

His gaze had darkened and he set down his bottle.

"Are you trying to seduce me, Caroline?" he asked, his voice husky.

She gasped in shock, backing against the wall a little. "What – No!"

Then she shook her head and snorted in discontent. "No – you know what? Boundary broken. Don't. Ever. Say. Anything. Like. That. Again. Are we clear?"

He chuckled. "Fine." He pointed at his bottle. "In my excuse, I happen to be intoxicated."

She shook her head. "Me, too. So what? I still don't start saying creepy shit."

He looked a little insulted. "You think I'm creepy?"

Not anymore, to be honest. "Sometimes," she lied.

"But I suppose you inspired me." He smirked as he got rid of his own jacket, revealing a Henley that fit so tightly that she supposed that it was tailored. Ugh, stupid vampire urges.

He smirked at her, a knowing look in his eyes and she just wanted to punch him. Or do something else. Stop this! Where was this going? No, no, no, no.

Klaus picked up his blood bag, that she now noticed, she'd forgotten all about and did something curious. He started emptying it into his bourbon-bottle.

She frowned. "What are you doing?"

"Well, let's call it a vampire-cocktail, love. Won't you hand me your blood bag, too?"

She cocked her head to the side. "Why?"

"I suppose both of us are already intoxicated enough. We should share this one and-" he held up the bottle "as you see there is still room for a little more tomato juice in this bloody Mary."

She giggled as she handed him her blood bag. He added it to the mixture and then swayed it around a little. She wondered how he could make a simple gesture look so suave.

A devilish smirk on his face he offered her the bottle.

Grinning back at him she took it and drank some of its content. It was delicious, the taste of the bourbon she'd just come to appreciate mixed with the ever enticing flavor of blood. She wondered why she'd never come up with this idea before, it was really obvious.

He gave her a questioning look and she smiled again. "It's really good."

He smiled back at her and she handed him the bottle. Not letting his gaze leave hers he took a huge slug of it himself. She felt another chill down her spine.

Without hesitation she accepted the bottle when he offered it to her again.

Her gaze flickered down to the bottle. It came to her mind that there was a certain intimacy in sharing the bottle. Not that she hadn't done that with her friends before. She also hadn't thought of this yesterday.

She drank again, slowly taking small sips, reveling in the sensations that both ingredients of the drink provided. She felt herself getting dizzier again while watching his gaze turning dark again while it bore into her.

Finally she let down the bottle and sighed. When she held it out towards him his eyes didn't leave hers and strangely enough she didn't feel any need to look away herself.

His fingers grazed hers as he took it and as she drew back her arm she still felt a tingling sensation where they'd touched.

Her mind was in a daze. She indulged in her basic vampire instincts, the taste of the blood and the tension between the two of them as well as the alcohol-induced intoxication making her feel almost high.

Wait, something was wrong with this. It had slipped her mind.

Maybe she should get up and move a little, to clear her mind.

Ungracefully she rose to her feet, stretching her arms a little.

He frowned at her, giving her a questioning look. She looked down at him, eyeing him again.

She had to admit he was really handsome. No – stop it! She pinched her eyes and shook her head.

"I just need to move a little," she breathed, taking a few steps. She only noticed how intoxicated she really was when she actually stumbled over her own feet and in that instant he was on his feet, too, catching her. Intuitively she grabbed his Henley, stabilizing herself.

How come he didn't seem to be nearly as drunk as she was? Ah, right, the thousand year old hybrid part. She giggled, looking up at him.

It was then that she took in their actual proximity.

His right arm was bent around her and his hand on the small of her back. His left hand was resting on her shoulder. Their hips were almost touching and his face was really close. His smell took over her senses and she knew she was never going to be able to forget it, now.

She hadn't noticed that he was actually taller than her, but then again she wasn't wearing heels.

As soon as her eyes caught his, it was too late, she was caught.

He looked down at her, his gaze dark again, and she shivered.

Unable to break the eye contact or even move, she remained that way.

He leaned in farther and she could feel his breath on her face. She noticed that she was holding hers. Once again she was mesmerized by his gaze. How the hell did he always break through her defenses that easily?

"Caroline." His voice was husky, while speaking he didn't take his eyes off hers "Shall I remove myself from this position?"

He was trying really hard to fit her standards. She wouldn't have expected him to be asking. What did she want? She wasn't sure. Even though a part of her clung to the moment for her dear life and she couldn't think of anything more uncomfortable than breaking the eye contact, she couldn't bring herself to say yes, either. She was dizzy.

He continued staring at her, waiting for an answer.

As hard as she tried, she simply couldn't decide. She felt overwhelmed by the question. Suddenly she felt a wave of all-to-well-known insecurity wash over her. She hated not being in control, most of all not in control of herself.

She pushed him away, trying to get to the ice box. She needed blood, she needed something to detox her mind. It was the only way she knew to get in control again. Her mind was a haze.

She stumbled, but he caught her before she even came close to falling, his arm around her waist.

"Sit," he ordered, carefully directing her into a sitting position.

Then he turned to the ice box and took out a blood bag, opened it and handed it to her. "Drink."

She did as she was told, for once grateful of his bossy nature.

Thankfully he hadn't wasted any time brooding over some bruised male ego but was able to take care of her when she needed it.

He had opened a blood bag for himself, too. Which was a good thing for the events of last night had proven that her getting sober combined with him still drunk didn't work out that well.

When she was done she let the empty bag fall to her left. She let out a contended sigh, her eyes heavy. "Better?" he asked, crouching in front of her.

It occurred to her that what just had happened was probably the vampire equivalent to him holding her hair while puking. "Yes, thank you," she replied, giving him a small smile.

He smiled back at her. A real smile, not a smirk or a grin. He really should be doing that more often. Or, she reconsidered, he shouldn't, because it had an effect on her she didn't like.

That's when she decided to just let go.

'Oh, screw this shit!'

She hooked her fingers in the hem of his shirt and pulled him towards her in one fast tug. She only got a swift glance of the look of surprise on his face when she crushed his lips to hers, closing her eyes. The moment of surprise on his part didn't last long, in an instant she felt him respond, cupping her face with his right hand while placing the other hand on the wall next to her face for support.

Oh. The dizziness mixed with the feeling of his lips gently but determinedly moving on hers and her head began to spin. She sighed into his mouth. Oh.

He took that as an invitation. She turned into a wobbly mass, grasping tighter to the hem of his shirt as his tongue invaded her mouth and she felt like the floor had been pulled away from underneath her.

She'd never reacted like this to a simple kiss. She supposed the alcohol had its part in that. He also probably just happened to be a really good kisser. It was different from in the woods, because it wasn't so rushed and, well, probably the "equipment"-part.

It was only when he pulled away for a moment and she heard him exclaim an astonished "Bloody hell, Caroline" that she noticed that she wasn't the only one reacting that way.

She grinned and pulled him back in, this time really taking control, snaking her arms around his neck.

She didn't want any interruptions, no time to think.

She felt his arms wrapping around her and leaned in further, letting out another sigh of contentment when she realized how good it felt to simply be close to him.

He sat down out of his crouching position and carefully pulled her into his lap while continuing to kiss her, one hand caressing her back, the other in her hair. She snuggled up against him and lost herself in the moment, feeling him trace patterns on the fabric that covered her back.

Her head started spinning again and at some point she couldn't take it anymore and drew back, resting her head on his chest, one arm slung around his neck, her hand clutching to his shoulder, the other tugging at the front of his shirt. She sighed, wondering why he wasn't trying anything more. Then she wondered whether she thought that because she still didn't trust him or because she wanted him to. Deciding that it was probably a mix of the two the world came out of focus and she felt herself drifting off.


	8. Chapter 8

 

 

She felt the sun on her face and breathed in the unusual smell. She was outside. Slowly she opened her eyes. Right, she was in the tomb. She tried to shift her head on her pillow when she realized her pillow was actually _an arm_.

" **Fuck! Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!"** She had jumped up, her back hitting the wall as she tried to get away as far as she could.

Klaus opened his eyes, and after an instant of shock a smug grin spread on his face as he sat up. "Well, good morning to you, too, sweetheart."

She stared down at him, her mind racing.

Apparently she'd spend the night on the air mattress – with Klaus.

Relief washed over her as she took in that he was fully dressed, quickly followed by another pang of shock. Horrified she looked down at herself. Fully dressed as well.

Never had she been so glad. Except maybe when she'd been saved from her various torture sessions. But her mind wasn't going there, nope.

The smirk had fallen from Klaus' face. "I'm offended you'd even consider that I'd take advantage of you in that way."

But he just had! But wait – had he really?

No, he hadn't. To be honest he hadn't even taken advantage of her when she would have let him. They had both been drunk and she had initiated everything.

For someone as persistent as he was in trying to get to her, she'd expected the exact opposite of him.

She looked back at him, her eyes widening. He peered back at her, a solemn expression on his face.

Somehow she felt he knew exactly what she was thinking; it was as if they were having a silent conversation.

The indications of what this meant sent unwelcome shivers down her spine.

She had underestimated him, gravely. And there was a well known pull in the pit of her stomach that she tried to erase, only to be followed by an even graver realization.

_She_ was at fault, _she_ had initiated this. She had _cheated on Tyler_ , with Klaus. She had cheated on Tyler, with _Klaus_. And she hadn't even wasted _a single thought_ on him the whole night.

She clasped both her hands over her mouth as tears pooled in her eyes.

Klaus' eyebrow twitched in worry, as she looked away and took a deep breath.

She had to pull herself together, this wasn't helping at all.

"I need a minute," she mumbled and walked off into the tomb.

As soon as she was out of sight she took a few more stabilizing breaths.

Alright, this was reality and it needed to be dealt with.

There was no way she could deny her attraction to him any longer. Okay, so she was attracted to Klaus. She gulped, slowly coming to terms with her new-found realization. Or rather admission.

That didn't have to mean she had to go with it, no way in hell.

She was still in love with Tyler, after all. _Tyler_.

She needed to talk to him. She need to get out of here and talk to him.

Chances were, he wasn't going to forgive her. Not after everything that happened.

And this was not just anyone; this was _Klaus_ of all people.

She shook her head. She hadn't just betrayed Tyler, she had betrayed all of them, all of her friends.

Alright, how was she going to get this under control, there had to be a way.

She had to _do something_.

She needed to get _out of here_. Now. She had to face this like an adult and wait this out.

But first of all she had to face him and make clear exactly what this was. A _mistake_.

* * *

When she returned to him he'd risen, leaning on the wall with his arms crossed. His expression was still serious. Good, she was glad he wasn't going to make fun of this situation.

"Are you all right?"

Okay, maybe not so good. It irritated her even further that he had to be far too nice right now. She was just now getting comfortable with this whole attraction thing. She'd also appreciate it if he wasn't giving her another one of these intense stares.

Oh, this had to be calculating on his part.

She look back at him bravely. "Yes. Listen," she sighed, composing herself. "I want to make something clear. This was a mistake. This shouldn't have happened-" he frowned, "Wait! I don't blame you – it was all my fault. And I… I apologize if I gave you any ideas or something but this can _never. Ever._ Happen again, do you understand me?" she looked up at him, still a little flustered.

With these damn puppy eyes, this was more difficult than she'd anticipated.

His face hardened, but there was still hurt in his eyes. Damn it! She shouldn't feel guilty! This was _Klaus_!

"I understand," he answered, his tone menacing.

She looked away. How had the coin turned like that? Why was she suddenly the one feeling guilty over here?

"Look, I'm sorry," she pleaded. "I don't even know how this happened."

He cocked his head to one side, his expression now hard. Slowly and suavely he pulled himself out of his leaning position and took a few steps towards her. Even after just having been rejected he was still oozing confidence.

He halted, just a little too close to her. She took a sharp breath and looked up at him. His gaze was piercing yet cold.

"You're lucky. I might just be able to provide you with an answer to your desperate wondering, love."

Oh, wow, could he be any more bipolar? She gasped in shock.

What had happened to the worried puppy?

He leaned in a little farther.

This time he was almost whispering. "Maybe, just maybe you have been lying to yourself." She was holding her breath. "And you like me a little more than you would like to admit to. After all," he raised his eyebrows, a sarcastic smirk spreading on his face, "you clung to my shirt so tightly that I couldn't even go get the blanket after you'd _fallen asleep in my arms_."

Okay, stop. He couldn't possibly be thinking that he was doing himself a favor here. Fine, a small part of her was reacting to their proximity in a way she didn't exactly like, but the majority of her just felt hurt. They'd built up some sort of familiarity, some sort of truce and he was just tearing all of this down without even blinking. But if he really was that man he impersonated right now he'd have taken advantage of her yesterday. Why was he doing this?

She didn't get it. She wasn't going to buy this, nonetheless.

She looked up at him, not concealing the hurt in her eyes.

"Why are you acting like this? This is hard enough as it is already."

The smirk fell off his face, a flicker of emotion in his eyes.

His voice was rough. "Well, I don't appreciate being mistreated."

Go with honesty. "And I don't like treating you this way. But I don't really have much of a choice."

His mask fell completely. He stared down at her a little longer, hurt and regret in his eyes, then took a step back and walked back to his spot at the wall, sitting down.

She sighed in relief.

"I apologize." He stared off outside the tomb. "That was rude." Now he turned his head towards her again. "But know that my intentions with you are honest and I don't enjoy being played with."

She nodded, looking down, then joined him, sitting down at her usual spot facing him. She looked away, though.

Somehow she felt she couldn't face him right now. She wasn't even confused anymore. All she wanted was to escape this situation. In this moment of weakness she found herself wishing none of this had ever happened.

"I just need to get out of here," she stated, her voice small and vulnerable.

His head snapped up and he looked at her with an unknown emotion in his eyes.

She looked back at him, wondering where this intense reaction came from when the moment was broken by her phone ringing.

She jolted up and then grabbed it quickly.

It was Bonnie calling. She sighed in relief, picking up immediately.

"Bonnie!" she exclaimed joyously.

"Care." She sounded anxious "You need to get him on the phone."

Caroline frowned. That wasn't really necessary to their supernatural hearing. The two of them shared a questioning look as she passed the phone to him.

"Brother!" a strangely familiar voice rang out of receiver, the tone sarcastic and positively cheerful. "I hear you got yourself into a bit of a situation." This didn't sound like what she had heard of Elijah, Finn was dead – that only left –

" _Kol_ ," Klaus growled into the phone, rising to his feet.

"Oh, don't be so grumpy, Nick. I am here to _help_." Klaus grunted.

"By the way, who exactly is it that shares your prison with you? That little blonde bombshell from mother's ball?" Klaus' eyes widened and if she didn't know better she'd say he was blushing.

" _Kol_!" he barked into the phone, "What is your business with the Bennet witch?"

Caroline tensed up. Right, if Kol was with her, Bonnie was in danger. She didn't have her magic, after all.

"Oh, I was just traveling around and made some new friends. You know I have a thing for witches." That didn't sound so good. "And suddenly little Miss Bennet showed up asking for help for her accidentally trapped friend. And as I proceeded to introduce myself she came forward with the rest of the story. And I, kind-hearted as I am, decided to help."

Okay, this guy was like the less grumpy version of Klaus. Did cynicism run in the family? A family of a billion year old sarcastic ruthless serial killers. And of all people on the planet they had to be messing with her and her friends.

"And how exactly do you intend to do that?" Klaus started pacing around.

"Oh, I believe I could make my witchy friends lift the spell."

"What is it you want in return, brother?" Klaus stopped pacing.

"Oh Nick, always so suspicious. We are family, aren't we? But, oh right, if I recall correctly you _put a dagger in my heart_." Klaus face remained impassive. "Let's say you owe me a favor. And – most importantly – no more daggering. Deal?"

Klaus gaze shifted to Caroline as if he was asking for her opinion.

'Bonnie,' she mouthed, hoping her expression conveyed how important the matter was for her.

He snorted and rolled his eyes.

"One more thing, Kol. You leave the Bennet witch alone."

She heard a disappointed huff from the other side of the line.

"Really, Nick? Can't you let me have the least bit of fun?"

"You won't harm the witch and we have a deal, do you understand me, Kol?"

Another disappointed sigh. "Fine. Deal."

Caroline sighed in relief, standing up, herself.

"Can I talk to Bonnie?"

Klaus looked back at her.

"Well, of course, sweetheart. I hope my brother has been treating you with decency," Kol fluted from the other side of the line. Both Klaus and Caroline frowned in annoyance and he handed her the phone.

"Care?" Bonnie asked, only having heard half of the conversation.

"Listen to me, Bon, what I wrote you the other day was true. Neither Klaus nor Kol will hurt you." Klaus leant back against the wall, his arms crossed and proceeded to watch her.

"I know, what I still don't get is why. Has he done anything to you, Care?" Bonnie asked, irritated.

"No, Bonnie, I'm fine. You just need to trust me on this one. Are you okay, has _Kol_ done anything to _you_?"

"No, I'm fine, too. It was just a bit of a surprise. You know I'm not the biggest fan of this family of homicidal maniacs," Bonnie uttered, dismissively.

"Hey, now I feel offended!" Kol commented, obviously not offended but amused. "What have you done to have left this kind of impression, Nick?"

Klaus rolled his eyes again.

Bonnie snorted dismissively. Caroline, on the other hand, was relieved.

"Okay, Bon. Then please hurry. I really need a _shower_."

Klaus raised his eyebrows suggestively. She grit her teeth.

"You'll have to wait a few hours. We're way too far away to lift the spell. They need to know the location to do that. We'll come to Mystic Falls as quickly as we can."

Caroline sighed in exhaustion.

"Fine. Just, _hurry_."

With that, the conversation ended. She sat back down again.

This was good. She was going to get out of here, Bonnie was okay. Another original psychopath was involved, but she had managed to keep the potential damage in check. She was going to get out of this stupid Klaus-situation soon.

The only question left was one she was smart enough not to voice. Why had none of them mentioned Tyler?

* * *

Both of them had brushed their teeth and Caroline had used the dry shampoo as well as the spray deodorant, annoyed that Bonnie hadn't brought another t-shirt. Then they each had eaten a sandwich and had now moved on to blood bags. Fortunately, Klaus had caught her vibes and had refrained from any further comments.

When she was finished with feeding and her downscaled morning routine she felt a little more in control. She knew herself in that respect; rituals were what kept her going when everything else failed, and she wasn't ashamed to hold on to every straw she could get hold of if she had to.

She needed to get out of there; take a shower, curl her hair, go grocery shopping, do some comfort shopping while at it, re-organize her desktop, do her homework, _talk to Tyler_. Nope – she'd think about that when the time came. Drowning herself in guilt now was not going to make anything better.

"Do you really think Bonnie's safe with him?" she broke the silence, looking up at him.

He sighed in annoyance. " _Yes_. As safe as possible, that is."

She was not satisfied with this answer. "Seriously. Are all your siblings jack-shit-crazy cocky psychopaths?"

He raised his eyebrows and grinned. "Well, that is an interesting assessment. It most definitely applies to Kol. He is… difficult at times."

"Is that why you daggered him?"

His expression turned slightly serious. "Indeed, it is."

She snorted but didn't want to delve farther into the sensitive subject. Hell, _everything_ was a sensitive subject with him. And she knew why.

Because – despite everything that had happened since they had entered the tomb; they were still enemies. As soon as they were going to get out he would continue to terrorize the lives of everyone she loved.

Because – even when he was _trying_ to be nice he was still a murderous psychopath who punched holes into walls when faced with facts with which he couldn't cope, who didn't and probably never would grasp the concept of how to respect another person.

Because – despite everything, he was still trying. He hadn't taken advantage, on the contrary, had even _taken care_ of her when she'd been in a vulnerable position. He'd let her say things to him that would probably have got anybody else killed or put into some coffin.

She sighed again and buried her face in her arms that she had placed on top of her tucked up legs.

"Caroline? What's wrong?" she heard him ask.

This wasn't exactly helping. _Nothing_ would be helping.

She was going to lose Tyler, she was attracted to Klaus and she was certain if she'd have to watch him try and kill one of her friends again she wouldn't be able to take it.

She raised her head and looked straight at him.

" _What's wrong_? _Everything_ is wrong." He frowned but it only irritated her further, gave her the option to seek refuge in anger. "I should never have agreed to this. I should have spent the whole time in the back of this cave and exchange a single word with you. Much less _get drunk_ with you. Now I've _cheated_ on my boyfriend." She quickly shook her head. "And then we're gonna get out and you will continue wreaking havoc on the people I love and I will _lose Tyler_! _Everything's messed up_!"

She took a deep sigh. "And right now I can't do anything to fix this and _it drives me crazy_."

Klaus looked worried and – maybe she was seeing things – but also a hint _guilty_.

He seemed to be contemplating something.

"Well, I don't think you're being exactly fair here. If I remember correctly, your friends just tried to have me killed."

She snorted dismissively. "Yeah, do I have to recite the list of your crimes which led to that?"

He let out an annoyed huff.

"They tried to _kill_ _me_. I can't just let it go like that – I have a reputation to uphold, Caroline!"

She was almost yelling now, shifting into a sitting position and leant forward. "Yeah! Because your fucking _reputation_ is so much more important than _people_!"

"It is _what kept me alive_!" His tone was menacing now.

"Because it's not like you're the most powerful creature on the planet and you're basically unkillable!" she shouted, gesticulating wildly.

He grounded his teeth against each other, his gaze furious.

"I was _hunted_ by my _father_ for _a thousand years_!"

" _And now he's dead_!"

He looked at her, dumbfounded. She stared him down, trying to make a point, taking a deep breath.

Finally, in a lower voice, she said, "Please. I'm begging you. Please, leave them alone. Let them be. You don't have to hurt them. I swear to you, I'll get them to leave you alone in return."

His eyes widened and then he averted her gaze. She saw his fist clenching.

The silence was so sharp she felt as if one could cut it in half.

" _Fine_ ," he finally answered, fixing his eyes back on hers, "I will withhold my revenge if you bunch leaves me and my hybrids alone." She couldn't believe it. She raised her hand to cover her mouth. " _And_ ," he continued, "I get a date."


	9. Chapter 9

 

 

Her jaw dropped. _What?_

" _What_?!"

"A date," he repeated.

Okay, now she was absolutely dumbfounded. He wanted a fucking _date_.

" _Seriously_? A _date_? You want me to give you a _date_ for _not killing my friends_?"

Despite the subject of their conversation he had a solemn expression on his face.

"I am not a man of mercy, Caroline. And I certainly won't give it away for free."

She huffed in overwhelmed annoyance.

"I – I can't believe this. You want me to-" she shook her head, letting out a dry laugh "You want me to _trade my relationship for the lives of everyone I love_."

His expression remained unaffected but she saw him gulp.

"If that is the way you wish to phrase it – _yes_."

She lowered her gaze. This most definitely hadn't made things easier.

"Specify date," she demanded, licking her lips.

"I get to court you for a night. We spend time at a place I choose."

She frowned. "I get that. It's more about what it _doesn't include_." She locked eyes with him again.

" _If_ , and I repeat, _if_ I agree to this that's all there is. I have to talk to you, spend time with you, that's all. You don't get to-" she averted her gaze, nervously, "do anything else. And after that one date – that's it. I don't have to ever talk to you again, do I?"

This was a bad idea, agreeing to a date. It would destroy her relationship with Tyler and moreover, it was dangerous ground. She needed to get away from Klaus to rid herself of this fatal attraction.

But she had to if it meant keeping her friends safe. There was no way she could even second guess her choice.

She would get through this date and then just evade him forever. Easy enough.

He looked offended again.

"I wouldn't want anything involuntary on your part, Caroline. You should know that. If my intentions were of that nature I'd have taken what I wanted long ago."

She gulped, discomforted by the effect the implications that lay in his words had on her.

"You are taking what you want now."

He frowned. "Again, Caroline, we are making a _deal_. You want something I can give you and I want something in return. I don't do charity."

She snorted. "Yeah, I got that, thank you very much."

She didn't want to admit to it but she felt a disappointed pull in the pit of her stomach. Stop, she was past denial. She was disappointed in him. She wanted him to make an exception. For _her_. The thought scared her to death, legitimately so. On the one hand it proved how deep her emotional evolvement really was at this point. On the other hand placing this kind of expectations on Klaus of all people was close to a suicide mission.

Maybe this disappointment would make it easier for her to spend a day with him without doing anything stupid. Actually, he was doing her a favor with this, revealing his true nature. Probably without knowing it, he was keeping her feet on the ground, making this easier for her.

"Okay, we have a deal," she answered.

A victorious smile spread on his face.

"Very well, sweetheart."

Wasn't this supposed to have been _her_ victory? How did he always manage to turn things around like this? She had a feeling that basically the same thing had happened many times before in the last two days. She froze a little. What if she was underestimating him? He was smart, everybody knew that. But still, maybe he was even smarter than she'd given him credit for. Much, much smarter than her. What if she was being manipulated _this whole time_? _Everything_ he had done could very well have been an act.

A shiver run down her spine as her insides seemed to contract at the thought. No, no, she was fine. She wasn't stupid herself and she was in control. She was in control.

She'd drunken the vervein, so she was-

_The vervein_.

Her eyes widened an in an instant she held the vial in her hand, still filled with liquid. She let out a sharp breath.

_No_ , no no no no no.

How could she possibly have forgotten about that?

She looked back at him. He had a hard look in his eyes.

Oh, no, please, no. This couldn't be true.

As she tried to open the vial in her hand she noticed her hand was shaking.

Suddenly his hands were cupping her face, turning it towards him and before she could even begin to understand their eyes met and his pupils dilated.

She was terrified. Every bit of trust they had built ( _trust_? _Klaus_? _Seriously_?) burned and crumbled inside of her.

What was it that he was trying to hide? What had he done? What was he about to do? She hated, hated, _hated_ being out of control like this. Suddenly the memory crashed down on her – the feeling of doing something and not knowing why. Walking through situations like a zombie, a voice in the back of her head screaming something she couldn't understand, vanishing every time she tried to concentrate on it. The feeling of not having both feet on the ground but instead gently, almost imperceptibly falling.

A sense of absolute vulnerability overcame her, the harshest most dreadful feeling she knew. She was back to being the weak little girl she had once been. She'd thought that, now that she was a vampire, she'd never be in this situation again, that everything had changed. And Damon, torture, even Katherine she could handle, but this was _Klaus_. He could crush her in a second, _compel_ her and there was absolutely nothing she could do but watch herself at his mercy.

Her breathing became uneven.

She was the rabbit in front of the headlights.

"If I ever used compulsion to make you forget something – _remember_. Now."

At first she couldn't even grasp what his words meant.

When the realization finally hit her, strangely, the relief she should be feeling didn't reach her.

She didn't remember anything.

It was over; he was not going to harm her.

But the rational part of her brain seemed to have been severed from her emotions, for the terror in her chest only seemed to grow.

She felt like she didn't get enough air, her breath stumbling. Strange – she didn't even need to breathe.

His pupils had returned to normal and he placed the opened vial in her hand. She'd barely noticed him taking it from her.

"Now, drink," he commanded.

She wanted to comply – every second she spent without vervein in her system held the potential of the terror she had just experienced – but she couldn't.

The vial slipped from her hand and he caught it, a bewildered expression on his face.

"Caroline?"

The world was shaking. No, that was probably her.

She heard a strange sound and after a moment she figured out that she heard herself breathing rapidly. Her eyes widened and as she stared down at her hands she saw a teardrop landing.

What was happening to her? She felt like she was suffocating, like someone had blown all the air out of her lungs. _A pillow_. _A pillow in her face_.

Another wave of anguish crashed over her, dragged her along like a ragdoll, drowning, _drowning_ her.

For a moment she saw a very clear picture of the first time she had seen a vampire's true face. The moment when she had been completely and irrevocably sure she was going to die – for the first time that was.

Then Elena with curly hair, no, Katherine.

Everything was blurry now. She wondered how she was even still alive, she should have suffocated by now.

"-aroline"

She noted that her hands where clasping onto something.

"Caroline, you need to stop breathing." Klaus' voice was firm, yet she heard a spark of panic.

_Stop breathing_?

Right, right. She was a vampire. Right.

She needed to get out of this.

Her hands were buried in his shirt, as if she was holding on for her live. She would have laughed at the irony, but she couldn't.

Alright. She could do this. It couldn't possibly get any worse than this.

She stopped.

Every pore of her body screamed that she needed to breathe, that she needed air.

But no, no, she was in control, she was in control again. Faced with a challenge she'd always face it head first. That she was able to think coherent thoughts was a hint that she was already getting better.

"You're safe, you're safe. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Caroline."

_Shh, it's okay. It's okay, it's me. It's okay, you're safe._

And, strangely enough, even though she knew she shouldn't, not with him, not with the one who'd triggered this – _whatever this was_ – she felt safe. _Safe_.

Slowly, slowly the panic washed off. She felt like she was in a vacuum.

The world came into focus again, before her she saw Klaus, his hands were gripping her shoulders and he looked at her a raw mixture of fear and bewilderment in his eyes.

Better, it was getting better.

Finally, she dared to take a breath again. Steady, steady.

She was almost back to normal, but a stale aftertaste of this hideous, revolting feeling was left.

She released his shirt out of a grip that was almost painful to her hands and wiped away the tears.

"Was that-?" she asked, finally.

He gulped. "You were having a panic attack. You were hyperventilating." His voice was rough but composed; his eyes however, betrayed him.

" _I'm sorry_ , Caroline," he whispered.

She nodded. She didn't really have the nerve to throw a tantrum, yet.

"This never happened before."

She needed to do something. She needed to cement the feeling of being in control that she was slowly regaining.

"Give me the vervein," she commanded.

Promptly he handed it to her. She forced her hands to stop shaking and opened the vial.

She gulped down the liquid and coughed at the acid sensation down her throat, instinctively leaning into his hands on her shoulders for support.

Irritatingly, in some strange way, it felt good; as if it was purifying her, cleansing her of that terrible sensation. That place inside herself that she never wanted to go to again. It was, she figured, one of these things you could only understand if you'd experienced it.

It already felt surreal.

"What happened to you?" he asked, sounding genuine and still a little desperate. There was nothing intrusive about his question. He removed his hands from her shoulders.

"If you promise not to ask who it was I can tell you." She had never really talked about it.

He nodded.

"Back when I was human someone fed on me. I thought I was going to die. After that I was manipulated, used for spying on my friends, compelled and more or less used as a human blood bag."

The relationship part was something she didn't feel comfortable sharing. Also, she figured, it would probably elicit a rather intense reaction on his part that she just couldn't deal with right now.

His gaze darkened, but he stayed composed.

"I felt terrible at that time, I wasn't that confident anyway and it made me feel absolutely helpless. I thought I'd overcome that when I became a vampire. I thought that could never happen to me again."

He lowered his gaze.

"What I don't understand though, is why I reacted like this. I mean, you know, a lot of shit has happened to me even _after_ I was turned. This didn't happen then. Hell, you compelled me to get in here and I didn't have this problem."

He cleared his throat. "These things aren't rational, Caroline. The mind is a mysterious thing. In the end we can only speculate, but the moment that we discover what it is we fear the most, is the moment that we truly get to know ourselves."

She looked up at him, curiously. He was speaking from experience.

"What do you fear, then?"

He paused at the question. He seemed to be debating something with himself.

Then he sighed. "Death. Powerlessness. Loneliness."

She widened her eyes in surprise. This was quite the confession for Klaus, of all people. _Loneliness_.

"And let me guess: most of the time one gets in the way of another."

Now it was his turn to be surprised.

His mouth formed a small, sad smile. "I suppose that's accurate."

She looked away. She didn't want to do this, understand him, sympathize with him. She wanted to get as far away from him as possible, but right now she just felt so weak and somehow he made that more bearable.

"Don't ever do that again," she stated, in a calm voice.

"I wouldn't dream of it, sweetheart."

"What kind of stupid idea was that anyway? To compel me to prove to me that you hadn't compelled me. Seriously." It wasn't funny, really, but she almost chuckled at the irony.

He grinned a little. "I suppose that wasn't my smartest move."

She shook her head. "No, it wasn't. But it's just so _like you_ to do that. Very egocentric and all."

He frowned. "You looked terrified, I wanted to fix it."

"No, you didn't do that for me. You did it for yourself, because you were bothered by my reaction. You didn't even stop and think what I'd want. I mean, you could have warned me, for example." Her voice was calm and personal. Even though she knew she should be angry she just didn't feel it.

He averted his gaze. "If I'd asked you, you wouldn't have let me."

"Yes, and rightfully so. This wouldn't have happened then. Your actions have consequences for other people, Klaus. You know that."

He looked back at her, his expression serious.

"I do. I am, however, not used to caring about that."

She blushed and looked away.

So much for averting Klaus. So much for trying to hate him.

She was starting to think that this was something she wasn't going to be able to get out of anymore.

She sighed.

Bonnie would soon be here. At least she'd be able to get out of this situation for some time, get him out of her sight and hopefully off her mind.

"Could you… back off a little?" she asked carefully.

"Of course," he answered.

Immediately he retreated and sat back down at his wall.

She loved how he never seemed to be offended when she asked such things of him. Just like the other night when she had pushed him away.

It showed that, despite all his faults, he still was an adult and pretty much the most overly self-confident person she'd ever met.

She rose to her feet and stretched her arms.

"I'm gonna go get the blanket," she explained as she walked off into the tomb.

This was still the same guy who'd made her exchange her relationship and probably the respect of her friends for a freaking date. She wasn't stupid, and she most definitely oblivious to who he was and what he had done. On the other hand he'd worked his way into her head and she really needed to distance herself from him to figure out how to deal with this. Luckily she wouldn't have to wait long to get said distance.

Much to her distaste a small part was actually disappointed to get out of here. It was the very same part that secretly rejoiced in the fact that she had agreed to a date and therefore made sure she'd see him again. Fortunately said part was indeed small compared to the rest of her that just wanted to get the fuck out of here. Now.

She returned with the blanket, the pillow and the magazine and started packing up. It didn't take long.

Then she sat down at her wall. He gave her an assuring smile and she returned it.

Another silent conversation – they both knew this situation was about to end.

Something told her he was a lot more unhappy about this than she was.

Hopefully Tyler was okay. Was he gonna be with them? He hadn't said anything and they hadn't mentioned him on the phone. Hopefully Kol had left him alone.

An awkward silence hung in the air. Oh, the irony – after all the things that they had talked about and that happened in the past two days. Maybe they just couldn't do small talk.

"So that's it, then," he broke the silence, cautiously.

"I guess so," she responded with a sigh.

"Well, then let me express that it was my unexpected pleasure to share a cave with you, love," he mocked but she knew that he was serious.

To cover up her embarrassment, she snorted.

"I'd say the pleasure is mine but I'd be lying. Also I don't speak dinosaur."

He elevated his eyebrows in feigned surprise.

"Now I'm offended. On so many levels."

She couldn't help but giggle.

"And rest assured, the English I spoke when I was a kid is an entirely different thing from the one I speak now. Language changes, Caroline. You'll be surprised what words will emerge from your mouth in a thousand years."

And he did it again. Ignite her interest in her future. Damn him.

"How many languages do you speak?" she asked, now captivated.

"Actually – I don't even know. As a vampire your ability to memorize things is limitless. I've always been a quick learner and that – of course – has only been enhanced by being turned immortal. No, there are so many, and so many versions of them over the years – I honestly can't tell you."

She looked at him in awe. Yeah, school had become a lot easier. She hadn't even imagined the potential this held.

"Do you know Chinese?"

He smirked smugly. "Which dialect?"

She chuckled. "Cocky, much?"

"Well, I have a reason to be, don't I, love?"

She shook her head, laughing. "Seriously, you're a lost cause."

His gaze turned halfway serious. "Am I, now?"

She looked away.

"I could teach you."

She looked back at him frowning. Teach her what?

"Mandarin – or whatever language it is you want to learn."

He'd never give up, would he? Travel the world with me, learn Chinese with me, here – a pretty picture and a dress and a bracelet. It was obvious that he was trying to lure her in with promises that she was sure he'd be happy to fulfill if only she gave him the chance – but she wasn't going to.

"Nah, I'm good. If I want to I can learn whatever I want by myself. I'm an A-grade-student, you know."

He grinned again. "I am aware, Miss Forbes. As well as head and chair of several ridiculous comities and foundations."

She feigned to be offended, laughing again. "They're _not ridiculous_! And what the hell – have you been stalking me?"

He looked up at her, still smirking, a devilish playful look in his eyes but couldn't help but chuckle himself.

It was too much. She wanted to shoot herself.

"I like to do my research, Caroline."

She should be creeped out. She should look away. But he gave her another one of these intense stares and she just couldn't. Again.

Suddenly the situation was broken up by the sound of several footsteps advancing towards the tomb.

Quickly she rose to her feet, looking out of the tomb apprehensively.

The relief she'd expected to be feeling at the now visible prospect of getting out of this cave didn't come.

The people she was waiting for, however, did.

Bonnie smiled at her and rushed forward to hug her. Caroline smiled widely. She was glad to see her. Not the relief she should be feeling, but close enough.

Wearing a smug grin, Kol sauntered up behind Bonnie.

"Hello, love." He turned his head to Klaus. "Brother."

He raised his eyebrows suggestively. "I hope you had your fun with this delicious little thing."

Klaus rose to his feet, growling. "You should mind your words if you want to keep your tongue."

Bonnie let go of Caroline, rolling her eyes.

"Just stop it, Kol. Nobody thinks you're funny."

His grin only widened. "Oh come on, sweetheart, you know you're lying."

Bonnie replied with a snort.

Caroline stopped dead in her tracks – _what_? She snuck a glance at Klaus, but he didn't seem to notice or mind the strangeness of the situation.

Bonnie should be afraid of Kol, not _banter_ with him. After all she didn't have her powers anymore.

"Could we just get it on with and lift this stupid curse? Where are the witches?" spat Klaus.

Right. There weren't any. Caroline frowned.

Bonnie threw a menacing look at Klaus "They're lifting the spell right now. They needed to be within a certain radius of this place but they didn't want anything to do with _you_."

Klaus elevated his eyebrows. "Am I _bothering you_ again, love."

Bonnie ground her teeth against each other, a mixture of fear and anger in her eyes.

Suddenly her phone made a noise and she lowered her head to look at it.

She gulped, staring down at it for a moment. She gave Caroline an anxious look.

"They lifted the spell," she commented, sternly.

Klaus was the first one to step out of their temporary prison.

Decidedly he took a few steps towards Bonnie, who flinched back.

"Brother, I suppose we have a lot of catching up to do." Kol paced towards his brother leisurely.

Klaus nodded, not taking his eyes off Bonnie.

"I think we should inform your friend about the terms of our agreement, Caroline."

She froze in place. Really, right now, right here? She wanted to tell Bonnie about the date in a more private environment. She was gonna be judgmental enough.

"Caroline here has been successful at convincing me to agree to a deal. You lot leave me and my hybrids at peace and I am willing to reciprocate."

Bonnie frowned, while Kol gave Caroline a suggestive look.

"Just like that?" Bonnie asked.

Klaus grinned. "I get to stay in your lovely town as long as I desire."

Relief washed over Caroline. Still, this had been another dick move, scaring her like that.

"I _think_ I know the nature of that 'convincing', brother. Congratulations."

Both Caroline and Klaus shot daggers at Kol. Bonnie just frowned at Caroline.

Klaus fixed his gaze back on Bonnie.

"Should, however, any member of you lot decide to _test_ me – the deal will be off and there _will_ be consequences." He took another step towards her, a threatening smirk spreading on his face. "Have I made myself clear?"

Bonnie glowered back at him, only a little intimidated – she was Bonnie after all.

"Yes," she answered, almost hissing.

"We should get going, Nick."

Klaus nodded and stepped towards Caroline.

She was uncomfortable. After everything that had happened she was afraid of what he would reveal in his goodbye. Fortunately Kol seemed to occupy Bonnie's attention. Well – more or less fortunately. The whole dynamic between the two of them irritated Caroline. They'd have a lot to talk about later.

Klaus fixed his gaze on her.

"I suppose this is goodbye, then," he said, again piercing her with his eyes.

She gulped, shivers running down her spine.

"I suppose," she answered, shrugging, putting on a though act.

He leaned in a little, just enough that only she noticed.

A warm, genuine smile spread on his face, only for her eyes.

"I'll see you around then, Caroline."

She nodded.

He took a step back, a stern expression on his face again, and nodded at Kol.

A moment later both of them were gone.

"I guess we should head back home then," she gave her friend a small smile, "I really need a shower."

Bonnie shook her head in anger, staring daggers at Caroline.

" _How_ the _hell_ did you get Klaus to agree to that deal, Care? Kol wasn't right, was he?"

Caroline's jaw fell in shock. Now that was definitely a boundary breaker.

" _Excuse me_? I could ask you a very similar question – what was that between Kol and you?"

Bonnie reacted equally shocked, as if she hadn't started the whole thing.

" _What_? _Between Kol and me_? I don't even know what you're talking about!"

Caroline crossed her arms.

"You don't have your _powers_ , Bonnie! You shouldn't be – I don't know – _bantering_ with him or whatever I should call it. He's _dangerous_!"

"I wasn't – _So is Klaus_! Whatever you did to make him – what about Tyler?"

"Yeah! What about him? Where _is_ he anyway?"

Bonnie stopped in her tracks and evaded Caroline's gaze.

"He- Care, he's off unsiring Klaus hybrids."


	10. Chapter 10

 

 

 

 

_'_ _He's off unsiring Klaus hybrids.'_

"He's – _what_? But the deal – he can't – oh my god."

Caroline covered her mouth with her hands as the realization hit her. That meant that her deal with Klaus was broken before it had even been instated. They were fucked.

"Yeah."

The previous tension had all but evaporated, leaving the both of them with the aftershock of their newfound news of another upcoming disaster.

"A date. I agreed to a date to get him to accept the deal," Caroline finally said, evading Bonnie's gaze.

"Care!" And just like that the anger returned.

"It's _just_ a date, okay? Nothing else! He promised that'd be all!" Okay, that was lame, but it was true.

Bonnie squinted her eyes in disbelief.

"Since when do we _trust Klaus promises_?"

"I- I _had_ to do it. You _know_ that. If it meant saving all of you, I didn't have a choice."

Bonnie shook her head, eyes closed. Caroline bit her lip. She knew this was going to be bad, but she'd hoped for at least some understanding.

"I can't believe this."

"I know the risk, Bonnie, _trust me_ , I do. And now all of this is in vain because of Tyler." Unsiring Klaus' hybrids – really? How about committing straight-out suicide instead?

Bonnie glowered at her, disgust and anger in her eyes.

"He's going to kill you if he finds out."

Caroline shook her head. No, that he wouldn't.

"It's not me I'm worried about. I know it sounds strange but he's got a pretty huge crush on me. He won't hurt me. You, Tyler, Stefan, Elena… I'm worried about _you_."

Bonnie stared at her in disbelief.

" _How_ can you be so sure he won't hurt you?"

"Because he hasn't yet. You know me and my loose tongue, Bonnie. I spend _two days_ in there with him and trust me I said things that would have gotten anyone else killed."

"What _happened_ in there, Care?"

Damn. No, nothing happened, nothing at all. She chewed on her lip again.

"Nothing. It's- it doesn't matter. What's important is that we need to find a way to make this right. I – I need to find Tyler."

Bonnie looked away. "I'm not gonna help you."

Caroline looked back at her, frowning. She realized Bonnie was actually shaking.

Bonnie closed her eyes. "I – I have spent the past day searching for someone to help me get you out of there – you and _Klaus_ -" Caroline took a step towards her, reaching out, but Bonnie took a step back to get out of her reach.

"My gramps is still suffering." It came out almost small and it felt like a punch in the guts. Right, Klaus had done this. He had caused her friend to suffer like this – _again_.

"Talk this out with Tyler. I just need a few days on my own. I _will_ help you. Just- leave me alone for now." Caroline recognized this kind of behavior – it was Bonnie's strategy to cope with grief. She'd seen it several times before. She'd recoil from the world to be alone with her anger and her sadness. And no matter how she looked at it – there was really nothing she could do at this point. She'd been directly involved in this and what Bonnie needed was to be away from the pain.

She nodded and let her friend go. She really needed that shower now.

* * *

So she did exactly that – had a shower. A long, warm, perfect shower with her favorite shower gel and an intense treatment of her hair as well as the usage of all of her standard and some of her special beauty products. And it was in fact just what she needed.

Feeling refreshed and a whole lot more in control of the situation she picked a short summer dress as well as some boots and curled her hair right back to perfection.

She would have to take care of the Tyler-situation rather sooner than later. She felt her stomach turning at the thought. She'd missed him and she couldn't wait to see him, but she knew that the happiness of their reunion wouldn't last long.

She sighed and pushed away such thoughts.

First she needed to see if Elena was okay. But she couldn't face her directly, not yet anyway. She was probably still unstable and she'd had enough judgment today – more probably awaited her later with Tyler. Quickly she dialed Stefan's number.

"Hey Care, what's up?"

Should she tell him? Probably not. Things were complicated enough already.

"Hi, uhm, I just wanted to know how Elena's doing."

"She's doing okay. I took her to the woods and taught her how to hunt."

Caroline sat down and relaxed; Stefan really was one of her best friends. It felt good to hear his voice after the whole mess she'd been through recently. Klaus… Stefan probably didn't even know he was even still alive. So much for not telling him.

"Stefan, do you know that Klaus is still alive?"

She heard him draw a sharp breath. "How?"

"He… Bonnie put him in Tyler's body. But he made her put him back which kind of resulted in her gramps being tortured by angry spirits for all of eternity. To make it short – everything is pretty messed up right now."

"Oh. Well, thank you for the great news. Why exactly hasn't he killed all of us yet?"

She supposed she could as well get the full story out. She also felt like she actually wanted to share it with Stefan. For some reason she guessed he wouldn't be as judgmental as the rest of them.

"About that – here's the thing. I was kind of locked up with Klaus in the tomb for the last two days."

She heard him shift whatever position he was sitting or standing in.

"Are you okay, Caroline?"

She smiled. "Yeah, I'm fine. We made a deal."

She could basically hear him frowning through the phone.

"What kind of deal?"

She sighed. "He gets a date. One date with me and he leaves all of us alone – granted we do the same. So keep Damon in check."

"Caroline, are you sure this is a good idea?"

She chuckled ironically. "No. Basically I _know_ it's a _terrible_ idea but it's not exactly as if I had a choice. And Stefan-"

"Hm."

"I don't really know much but it seems like Tyler is unsiring Klaus' hybrids, which means that all of it is in vain anyway and the level of 'fucked up' of our situation just increased beyond measure – so, please, just don't tell Elena, okay?"

"And what are we gonna do now?"

She jumped up from her sitting position and strode towards the door.

" _You_ do nothing; _I_ go talk to Tyler and see how much of this mess is possibly still fixable."

"Okay. But you tell me if you know anything new. And Care-"

She halted, her hand on the handle.

"I have news as well. Someone blew up the pastor's barn with 12 council members in it."

She frowned. Council members – that meant both people that had been trying to abduct and probably kill her just a few days before as well as people she had grown up with, known her whole life. She didn't quite know how to feel about that, but there was a sinking feeling in her stomach that told her she had at least some of her compassion left.

"Do you have any idea who?"

"Nope. But keep your eyes and ears open. I'll tell you as soon as I have any news, you call me as soon as there's any progress in the Klaus situation."

She closed her door behind her.

"I will, take care." With that she hung up.

Taking a deep breath she got in her car and made her way to Tyler's.

* * *

When she arrived at his house the whole situation felt eerily familiar to the one she'd been in just a few days ago. Right into the lion's den. Except the lion was her boyfriend, now, and she was the one guilty here. Walking up to his house she felt herself right back confronted with what she had done. She winced at the memory, shame bubbling up inside her. _She had kissed Klaus_.

Without further hesitation she rang the doorbell.

A few moments later Tyler opened the door for her. A wide smile spread on his face and her heart felt like it was being crushed inside of her. "Care!"

He pulled her in for a kiss, and not quite knowing how to react she went on with it. The awkwardness clawed at her; she pulled back.

He frowned, but then he took her by the hand and led her inside, still smiling. "You're out! Are you okay? I'm sorry, I couldn't be there."

They arrived in the living room. Much to her surprise a _girl_ was sitting in there with him. She was a brunette, in an outfit that was way too skimpy for Caroline's taste, lounging on Tyler's sofa as if she was at home. Caroline frowned.

"And who are _you_?"

The girl raised her eyebrows, then lazily got up from the sofa, stalking towards her. "I'm Hayley. I suppose you're Caroline? Nice to meet you." She stretched out her hand for her to shake.

Okay, this was really awkward. But okay, given the situation she didn't really have anything to complain about. She took the hand and shook it, still gazing at the other girl warily. "Hi."

Tyler grinned at her. "I met her in the Appalachians, she's a wolf. She helped me break the sire bond."

A surge of jealousy went through Caroline. _Calm down, you're the one to talk_.

"Okay, so what's she doing here?" she huffed, unable to hide her annoyance. This situation was bad enough already. There didn't need to be a stranger involved.

Tyler's expression faltered a little. "She's helping me do something, Care. I wanted to tell you about it just now."

Caroline shook her head. "I think I already know what you're talking about. Tyler, we need to have a conversation. In private."

He frowned and then looked to Hayley who didn't seem overjoyed but shrugged her shoulders and languidly left the room. Caroline decided that she didn't like the girl.

Tyler turned his head back to her, a questioning expression on his face.

"You're unsiring Klaus' hybrids. Bonnie told me."

He smiled and nodded. "Yes."

"You need to stop that. Now."

He frowned again and took a step back. " _What_? _Why_?"

She gulped. Straight to the point then. "I made a deal with him. If we leave him alone he leaves us alone. You are breaking that deal with what you're doing. If you don't want to see us all ripped to shreds I suggest you stop."

Tyler stared at her in shock. " _What_? What kind of deal? Wait – I can't just _stop_. They are people! He _took_ their free will from them! I thought you of all people would understand."

" _Excuse me_ if the lives of random strangers are less important to me than those of my friends!"

She saw the anger taking surge of him.

"They are not _random strangers_ , Caroline! They are _my pack_! I can't just leave them at his mercy!"

He had to make this situation more difficult than it already was, did he? She stopped herself. She was in no position to be angry.

He calmed down a little. "What kind of deal, anyway? He wouldn't just leave us alone just like that. This _disgusting piece of shit_."

Oh, great. Confession time. She looked away.

"A date. He wanted a date."

Silence filled the space between them and she peeked her gaze at him, watching him calming his temper.

"And you said yes," he answered, his voice hollow.

"Look, I didn't have a choice! It was all my friends life or-"

He took a step towards her, shouting. " **You agreed to a** ** _date_** **with that** ** _scumbag_** **!** "

She stood her ground, shouting back at him. " **I didn't have a choice!** "

They stared at each other in anger, until finally it hit her. The worst was still to come. An uneasiness formed at the pitch of her stomach, taking her breath away.

She lowered her gaze.

"There's something else I need to tell you."

He took a deep breath. "What could possibly be worse than that?"

It came out quick and quiet, two little words that didn't even begin to do justice to the weight of their meaning. "We kissed."

She did not dare to look up at him.

After a moment she heard him turn away and step towards the table. She raised her gaze to see what he was doing and the next thing she knew the threatening silence was broken by the loud bang. He had thrown something at the wall in front of him.

Hybrid temper, she guessed, but she couldn't even laugh at the irony of the fact that she'd just had a similar experience with Klaus.

When he looked back at her, the hurt and the anger in his eyes pulled the rug right from under her. Desperately, she tried to somehow fix the situation.

"I was drunk! I don't even know how it happened! I'm sorry-" She stopped. This didn't really help. She had made a mistake and now she had to adhere to it. She straightened her face and awaited his reaction.

"Did he get you drunk? Did he – did he take _advantage_ of you?"

She quickly shook her head. "No, no. He was drunk, too."

"Then **what do you mean you don't even know how it happened**! How could you possibly- How could you do something like that? With **him!** "

A shocked Hayley appeared in the door and Caroline's gaze shot daggers at her.

"I heard a noise-" she was interrupted by Tyler.

"I _knew_ something was going on when you _kept that fucking drawing_! This is just- I don't even know what to say to this. And now you want me to _stop freeing his slaves_. _Go on a date with him_!"

She flinched, looking away. This was getting worse by the minute.

"I _broke every bone in my body for you_! _A thousand times_!"

"Tyler, please, we can fix this! There's a way to fix this!"

He looked at her, his gaze hardening.

His voice was calm and collected. "You know what – no. Maybe we can't."

It hit her like a punch in the guts and she let out a sharp breath. Tears pooled in her eyes. She didn't even care if the wolf girl was watching.

"Tyler, _please_ -" He grabbed her arm and pulled her towards the door, opening it with a little too much force, shoving her out gently.

"Leave, Caroline," he said and closed it behind her.

Tears pooled in her eyes and she let out a strangled sob as the face of the closed door in front of her pushed the reality of her loss right in her face.

She had lost Tyler.

* * *

In the car she collected herself and wiped away the tears. She'd cry in the safety of her home – not out in the open where anyone could see her.

As she made her way home she tried not to think at all. She needed to be alone, she needed to be away from all this, now. She'd broken off with Tyler before, but it had never been like this.

Luckily, this day of the week her mother was usually pulling an all-nighter, which would give her the time she needed.

As she pulled up in front of her house another shock hit her. Making his way to her doorway was none other than _Klaus_.

_What the fuck_? If there was anything she _didn't_ need right now it was his presence. This was all his fault after all! Or maybe, no, it wasn't. It was all _her_ fault. But she honestly didn't need any more guilt right now.

She took a deep breath and got out of the car, walking straight towards him. Her stomach turned again. She would have to make this quick, she couldn't hold herself together for long.

He turned towards her, smiling. She fixed an icy expression on her face as she kept walking towards him. The smile fell from his face and was replaced by a questioning expression.

"What do you want?" she asked, walking past him towards her front door, pulling her keys out of her pocket.

He followed her onto her porch and came to a halt behind her.

"What's the matter, Caroline?"

She kept her back to him, her hand on the door handle. "Nothing. Why are you here?"

Softly he grabbed her shoulder and turned her around – the damn bastard shouldn't be touching her now! The last thing she needed were memories of how it had felt to be in his arms. God, she needed a hug – but most definitely not from him.

He had a genuinely worried expression on his face.

"Don't lie to me. Why are you so upset?"

She gulped, keeping it together. She squinted her eyes in anger. "That's _none of your concern_. Now please tell me why you're here or I will leave you standing on this porch."

His expression hardened. He kept his hand on her shoulder.

"Now, that wouldn't be of much use, would it? Considering I can enter any time I want."

Great. She shook her head. "I really can't deal with this right now, Klaus."

His expression softened again. "I just don't like seeing you unhappy. If there is anything I can do about it, tell me."

She shook her head again, tears pooling in her eyes. Why did he have to act so nice again, now that he'd practically made her destroy her relationship? She was alone now. And it was his fault. Yet, she just didn't have the energy to put up her defenses against his charms.

His tone of voice implied a closeness that she'd like to think they didn't have.

But it seemed like now they did.

"Tyler and I broke up," she uttered, silently. She was surprised at herself.

She was even more surprised that the expression on his face was not one of triumph as she'd expected, but one of concern. Probably she should have been expecting that, he _did_ care for her after all.

"Don't act innocent in this, it's your fault, after all," she added dryly.

He frowned but didn't say anything.

Quickly she wiped away the tears and looked away. "Why are you here?"

He cleared his throat and held something out to her. It was an envelope.

"This concerns our arrangement. It's an invitation."

She nodded, weakly. "Could you at least give me a day to deal with all this?"

He took a breath, looking down at her with an expression that could almost be mistaken for guilt. "Of course." His voice was hoarse.

He placed his other hand on her other shoulder, staring at her intently.

"Is there anything you need?" She shook her head. She just wanted to get away before she could possibly make things even worse. The way he was looking at her made her want to reach out and bury her head in his chest. She couldn't possibly do that. Out of the blue it hit her again – she already had –Tyler had broken up with her.

Tears pooled in her eyes.

"Just- just leave me alone, okay. I don't really have the energy for this now." She gulped down her tears and shook her head, a composed expression on her face.

"Just leave," she said and opened the door, stepping inside.

She closed it on him, not even looking back at his face, and made her way to her room, finally letting herself cry the tears she'd been holding in for what felt like forever.


	11. Chapter 11

She curled up on her bed and let the tears run free. She sobbed into her pillow.

There were two types of crying known to her. One brought relief and eased the pain; it was like a cleansing process that allowed her to stand taller afterwards. The other was something else and infinitely worse, only increasing the numbness and leaving one with a sense of hopelessness that bordered to being as bad as the absolute helplessness she now knew.

Fortunately the uncontrolled weeping that currently wracked her body seemed to be of the first type. She hadn't allowed herself to cry like this since her father had died.

But this time she wasn't mourning the cruelty of the world that had taken something from her – she let herself revel in self-hatred. In order to function, in order to be the upright, capable, cheery person that was her, she could never allow notions of that too close to her.

This time, right now, she knew she had to get it out of her system. For she had done something despicable, she had made a mistake, she had let herself slip into a gray area that didn't only threaten to swallow her, but made her hurt the people she loved.

The feeling she let crash through her usually solid dams now was nothing new, either. Back when she had been an insecure, neurotic, _human_ mess it had constantly clawed at her. She hadn't let it drag her down; she had done something about it. The power that vampirism had gifted her with had certainly helped. But now, almost a year later, she had actually considered herself past that point.

Boy, had she been wrong.

It had only taken a little manipulation, a little bit of alcohol to turn her around a make her trip, make her _kiss a serial killer_ , make her _crush_ on a serial killer. _Despite_ having a boyfriend, having _Tyler_ , who – as he had rightfully pointed out – had broken every bone in his body just to be with her.

She couldn't blame him for breaking it up – not at all, not even a tiny little bit.

She couldn't really blame Klaus, either; it was just his nature, what was to be expected. But wait – that still didn't excuse anything he'd done. That was just his idea of how things went – a little helpless shrug (one can't do anything about it anyway), an _explanation_ , maybe even a set of puppy eyes (for every behavior there is a reason) and if none of that helped just pure violence (I am the alpha!) – and the problem is solved.

But it wasn't. It wasn't. Because despite every reason he and Damon and Katherine, even Stefan and, yes, she herself had (that was just causality, of course everything had a reason) – the damage was still done. And it would always be, whether it was forgiven or forgotten about, in itself _the reason_ for something else, maybe even more hideous.

Trying to argue the severity of it away was childish and selfish – both things she didn't aspire to be.

Klaus simply didn't seem to care. Maybe he'd just done this for too long, to be able to. But then again he _did_ care – about her.

Maybe, _if_ there still was humanity in him, he was afraid that the regret would crush him just like it crushed Stefan. And it probably would. And he would deserve it.

But then again, there was the vampire part in all this. Killing was instinct, death was just a part of life. Her first kill had destroyed her, shattered her and made her ask Damon, of all people, for help. Killing her mum's deputies hadn't left anything but a small pull in her guts – it had to be done, shit happens. The death of the council members, too, had not really made her feel grief. Her reaction to it was more obligation than emotion. Maybe this was another gift of vampirism, to help cope with the fact that however one chose his or her feeding habits, immortality meant outliving every loved person that was human.

Had Klaus been right? Was she denying herself something here, should she embrace every part of her vampirism? The answer was easy – no. She was perfectly okay the way she was. Everybody was of the opinion that she was way too good at vampirism and she knew they were right. She held the perfect balance – up until now.

But one slip didn't mean she'd lost it all, even though she let herself sulk in it for now. If she'd lost Tyler she'd lost him – but that wouldn't keep her from trying to make it right.

Because even though the damage was done and it would continue to affect her and the people around her – that didn't mean she should give up. It meant that she should get back up on her feet and face reality, do her best to work with what she had left.

And that meant somehow fixing the Klaus-situation. She had to find a way to make this right.

Still sniffling she slowly sat up and wiped the tears off her face.

First she'd have to make sure he didn't learn about Tyler unsiring his hybrids – which could get difficult, considering how well he'd played and manipulated her for these past two days.

She had to make sure to strengthen her defenses and foresee his moves.

She was attracted to him, alright, but that didn't mean she had to succumb to it.

Another way was maybe to play right into his game and maybe manipulate him into somehow letting Tyler live. She flinched at the thought. This would be though. On the one hand it was probably impossible to manipulate him without him catching in on it right away – that would only make him suspicious. Plus she was attracted to him herself and by doing this she'd probably only worsen that problem. Maybe her second problem would solve the first one – there would be no manipulation to catch on to if she was genuine. But could she be genuine if she had ulterior motives?

Their conversations had been so honest that it hurt, there was no way he wasn't going to find out – her secret would cause her to react certain ways in certain situations.

Suddenly she had an epiphany – she'd only need another reason to explain these reactions, a straw man to keep his attention away from what she needed to hide, and she had plenty of those.

This was the way to go. She'd made a mistake and the only way to fix this was to delve even farther into danger. She had to prioritize – Tyler's life was at stake. Even if he'd hate her forever for this at least he'd be safe.

With a new determination in her eyes she picked up the envelope and opened it.

Inside there was a piece of thick paper. She ran her fingers over the rough texture, before reading the words that had been written by his already familiar handwriting.

_Caroline,_

_Since the upcoming date is likely to be a scarce opportunity_

_I intend to make full use of the occasion._

_We will have dinner at my house._

_Inform me about a convenient time_

_and dress in whatever attire you favor._

_Fondly, Klaus_

There was a mobile number written at the bottom of the page.

She laid down the letter. Well, wasn't he blunt. At least she knew what she was supposed to be anticipating. To her shame she felt a tingle of excitement at the prospect.

She took a deep breath. She had already made up her mind. This was something she could use for her advantage. She was basically playing herself here, setting herself up for pain. But faced with the possibility of Klaus killing Tyler it was her only option.

She went to the bathroom and washed her face, then changed into her pajamas and went to bed. Even though she was scared of being alone with her thoughts again, she did certainly appreciate the comfort of a warm bed.

She decided to go to school the next day and set her alarm for that. Nothing better than daily routine to get back to one's usual self.

Fortunately she was exhausted from the crying and fell asleep quickly. But to her shame her thoughts didn't revolve as much around Tyler as she had anticipated. Instead she found herself trying not to recall the specifics of how exactly she had spent the night before.

* * *

Elena, Bonnie and Stefan were all absent, as was Tyler. For the latter, she was actually grateful. Despite her best efforts to slow it down, time flew by and the desired effect didn't kick in. Instead she felt restless and couldn't concentrate, her mind alternating between painful Tyler-terrain and shameful Klaus-terrain, both of which she tried to pull away from as fast as possible.

School ended earlier that day, since there would be a memorial later, honoring the dead council members.

Sitting in her car back home at what seemed like way too early, she contemplated if going would be a good idea. There was a good chance that Tyler was gonna be there, and despite her efforts to distract herself all she had really been able to think about was the mess that she was in. She wanted to finally get it over with and fix it. Several times during the day she had been about to pull out her phone and text Klaus that _tonight_ was a _convenient time_. She couldn't stand watching helplessly on the sidelines, with nothing to do. The guilt and the fearful anticipation of things to come drove her crazy and she needed, _needed_ to do something about it.

Now was another one of those moments.

It was broken by her cell phone ringing. She parked her car in front of her house and pulled out her phone. Stefan.

"Hey," she answered, weakly.

"Caroline?" He sounded distraught. "Are you okay?"

She frowned. What? "Yes. Yes, of course I am. What's going on?"

A moment of silence followed. What was he talking about? "Tyler was here," he said.

She gulped. She felt a well-known pull at her insides. So much for not thinking about Tyler. She didn't deserve to feel sorry for herself.

"Why?" she asked.

"There's a hunter in town. He shot Tyler with vervein bullets." Her eyes widened as she nearly dropped her phone. She gripped the wheel, her knuckles white.

"Oh my god, is he okay?"

"Yes. Had he been a vampire he would have been dead. You can't go to that memorial, Care. The hunter will be there. We have to, it would look suspicious, but he doesn't know about you. It's too dangerous."

She bit her lip. She actually felt relief, having a real reason not to go. Although she was worried about Tyler.

"Okay."

"Tyler told me you guys broke up. What happened?"

She sighed, not really sure what to tell him. What did she _want_ to tell him? He hadn't been judging her up until now. And somehow she just felt like talking to an understanding friend.

"Klaus and I kissed." Short and to the point.

She heard a sharp intake of breath at the other end of the line.

"Okay – How the hell did that happen? He didn't force you into anything, did he?"

"No. God, no. We were drunk. It happened. Trust me, I regret it like I haven't regretted anything else before."

"He's dangerous, Care. Be careful."

She bit her lip, sighing again. "Here's the thing. I don't think he's going to hurt me. Actually, I'm pretty sure he's got a big fat crush on me."

Another moment of silence.

"Okay." She heard him say.

"I want to use that in order to keep him from killing Tyler."

"Sounds like a suicide mission. But I think I believe you. He acts – differently – around you. I'm still not comfortable with this. He likes me, too, and look where that got me."

"Well, it's my decision. Just, please don't tell anyone, okay? Especially not Elena and Damon."

"Of course. Just – call me, okay? Tell me how things went. And call me when you need help."

She smiled mildly. "I will. And Stefan," she paused. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For not judging me. I think I hate myself enough already."

She heard him chuckle. "No worries. Who am I to judge anybody?"

Her smile broadened. Well, this had gone better than she'd expected.

"I'll call you." With that she hung up and took a deep breath. Sadness out, energy in. Time to fix things.

Fired by her new found confidence she started texting Klaus.

_The convenient time is tonight._

She leaned back into her seat and stared out at her house, anticipation tingling in her. Moments passed and she couldn't help but imagine the surprised look on his face. She chewed on her lip. She was really going to do this. There was no running away.

_Well, that was rather quick. I'll pick you up at eight, then._

She raised her eyebrows. As if she couldn't find her way to his house on her own. No need for people to see that.

_I can find my way to your house on my own, you know._

This time the response was quick.

_As you wish._

She was surprised. She wouldn't have expected him to cave that easily. She decided to leave it at that and got out of her car. She'd spend the afternoon doing her homework and getting ready, she decided, unlocking the front door.

* * *

At a quarter to eight she was ready and prepared – at least externally.

She had decided for a ruby-red top and a black blazer, a dark pair of jeans, as well as knee high dark brown boots and a thin silver chain-necklace. Her hair was curled in big, loosely falling waves and she had only applied minimal make-up. She also chose a little brown leather purse.

She was going for chic yet casual. She didn't want to look as if she was trying too hard. Still, she wanted to look good. She needed to, for her plan. She also wanted to – something that played into her plan as well.

She took a last look into the mirror, took a deep breath and adjusted her hair. Then she got into her car and took her time driving up to Klaus' mansion.

Strangely, the realization of what she was about to get herself into hadn't really hit her yet. It was like she was floating on air, disconnected. School, homework, even dressing up hadn't helped at all, now that she reflected on it. She supposed it was some kind of psychological mechanism to keep her from feeling the true emotional impact of her loss.

She didn't like it. Not at all. It felt out of control, she wasn't grounded anymore, and somehow that made it difficult for her to grasp what exactly were the rules and the goals of the game she was now a player in. Chances were, with Klaus' manipulative ways things would only get worse.

She took a deep breath and sorted her head. This was ridiculous.

She decided to accept the reality of her disconnection – she'd deal with it as soon she had dealt with the bigger and more urgent problem at hand.

She was going to try and somehow form a bond with Klaus that was strong enough to keep him from murdering Tyler. She would use her attraction to him to make it seem authentic. She would use prepared straw men to keep him from finding out. She needed to make sure it didn't escalate, needed to keep her control.

She was playing with fire here and she would need to be focused to win the game against the master of manipulation. Fortunately she had the better deck of cards with him obviously crushing on her. She needed to play both of them to her advantage.

She parked her car, nervously checked her hair again and got out.

She walked up to his house. She couldn't believe it'd been just days that she had come here to lure him into the tomb.

Now she was here again, again to manipulate him into something. This time she simply had to be more careful to avoid leaving herself open for counterattacks on his part.

But this time her priorities lay differently. She would probably sink with this ship – but it would be alright as long as she could somehow save Tyler.

She came to halt in front of the door. Decidedly, she rang the doorbell.

After a short moment of anticipation it was opened, by a Klaus wearing a suave smile. His eyes were soft, although there was a certain sociopathic glint in them.

"Caroline," he said "Please, enter." He stepped aside and gestured to emphasize his words.

She gave him a wary smile and did as he asked of her. Much to her dismay her heart jumped a little, and she was honestly happy to see him. She'd seen him _just yesterday_.

The entry hall was really gigantic, she still remembered being here at the night of the Mikaelson's ball. It was strange now, everything being so empty yet still so huge.

"Who could possibly need such a big house?" she thought aloud.

"Well," he feigned indifference, but there was actual sadness in his words, "It was meant for all of my family. Unfortunately things didn't turn out quite as planned."

He led her through his living room to a dining room.

In the middle of the room there was a table with enough room for about eight people. In front of two opposing seats the table was set for the both of them. In the middle of the table a delicious looking dinner was laid out, roasted meat with a mouth-watering smell, different kind of vegetables as well as potatoes, bread and all kinds of various side-dishes, all complete with candles, flowers (roses) and several carafes of what she guessed would be water, wine and blood. The cutlery, glasses and plates looked both expensive and old. Everything was arranged in an aesthetically pleasing way with matching color schemes, every inch of it a demonstration of exquisite taste.

Having arranged her fair share of official dinners and events she couldn't help but appreciate it. Not that she would have expected anything else from him.

She couldn't be bought, though, but she had already made that point.

He cleared his throat and pulled one of the chairs out from under the table, offering it up to Caroline. Giving him a coy smile she sat down, expecting him to do the same.

Instead he stayed where he was. She became a little nervous.

She was about to say something when she felt him lean into her from behind. She felt his breath on her ear, and her own hitched in her throat. His hands rested on the back of her chair.

"I sent my hybrids away and – my sister moved out and Kol joined her. We won't be disturbed tonight."

It sent shivers down her neck.

And then he was gone again, already around the table, pulling out his own chair and sitting down in one graceful gesture. He smirked at her, gloating with confidence.

"You look ravishing, by the way."

Boy, this would be a long and difficult evening.


	12. Chapter 12

She raised her glass to her lips and took a sip. She wasn't exactly looking in his eyes, but she wasn't looking away either. This was important, a turning point for whatever it was they had – this haunting, unwanted, complicated whatever.

Nevertheless, this was reality and if there was anything she was an expert in, it was facing complicated whatevers straight on.

Like, he was really handsome tonight. Probably more handsome than ever. And she had an idea that that was not entirely the fault of his wardrobe (or his fucking smirk). Something had shifted in her perspective, and she was scared by the intensity of it. Okay, fine, deal with it.

She'd have to keep this under control. And if she couldn't, she'd have to break her own heart.

But she would. Priorities.

"So, love, how was your day?" he asked calmly, but his face betrayed him. He smirked, a devilish playful glint in his eyes.

"Terrible," she answer, shortly.

The mirth left his face, replaced by a slightly concerned expression.

"Oh, of course, that was inconsiderate of me. I apologize."

She shook her head.

"No, it's okay. Just don't talk about it."

He nodded and proceeded with eating. To be honest, she was enthralled. She'd never seen anyone handle his cutlery in such a graceful manner. Every movement was controlled, habit from centuries of perfecting each and every motion. Just as everything else he did, from how he moved to how he spoke.

The thought of all that time, all that learning and that polishing – all that in a relaxed manner, because running out of it wasn't even an issue . Immortality.

Many people were shocked by the prospect of immortality, the idea to live forever. And she probably should be, but somehow and self-evidently she knew that it was what she wanted.

And she had it, it was hers.

"What about Kol?" she asked, breaking the silence.

He raised his eyebrows.

"What about him?"

"Uhm, did you get him under control? I mean… he really seemed kind of dangerous."

A devilish smile spread on his face. "Ah. You mean you are worried about Bonnie."

Her head snapped up and she frowned. "What? What about Bonnie?"

Smugly, Klaus leaned back as if he knew something she didn't. "It seems my 'jack-shit-crazy cocky psychopath' brother has developed a fancy for your little witchy friend."

Her eyes widened.

"And by the way – you've said this so often that I need to address it. Neither Kol nor I are psychopaths – high functioning sociopaths is a more appropriate term."

She frowned. Excuse you, she hadn't really gotten into this yet, it wasn't exactly her favorite topic.

"However. He's dangerous. Bonnie's been through enough."

"That may be so," he said as he got up and opened the wine.

"It's just that I hardly think he cares."

He moved forward and filled her wine glass with it. He gave her another smile as he leaned in just enough that it wasn't too close.

"Enjoy, this wine is half as old as I am."

She looked down at her drink while he filled his own glass. She could appreciate some good wine, but it didn't impress her either. She decided to just ignore his blatant gloating.

"Alcohol. I don't think that's such a good idea."

Playfully he elevated his eyebrows again, raising his glass. "Oh, but I insist."

She frowned again, groaning. "Seriously?"

He lowered his head and nodded, pointing his glass towards her as if to indicate that he wanted to toast.

She sighed and complied, raising hers, too.

They stared at each other as they produced a small chinking sound. And for a moment it was as if there was a silent understanding between them – although what this understanding was, she didn't know.

Both of them started drinking.

The wine was exquisite. She'd never tasted anything like this before. Alcohol was good, it helped with the cravings but usually it wasn't really _tasty_. This was even better than the bourbon.

It was as if he was reading her mind.

"I will show you my bourbon collection later."

Well, and there she'd been, so sure of the fact that this would never happen.

But she was in this situation now, and she would have to work with what she had.

"What do you plan on doing now?"

He looked at her, his face halfway serious. "Is there something you want to do?" He asked, placing his glass on the table.

She tried to ignore the blatant sexual innuendo.

"Uhm, no. Get this over with, maybe," she snapped.

He frowned. "May I inquire as to why do you choose to hold this attitude?"

She looked at him, straight in the eyes.

"Because I am forced to be here."

He scoffed, obviously annoyed.

"I didn't _force_ you to do anything, Caroline. This was your decision. If you want to you can leave. But then the deal is off."

Anger rose in her chest. "And my friends, my family, everyone I love will die. I get it. Thank you."

His gaze softened.

"Caroline…"

"Don't 'Caroline' me. This is a fucking farce."

His face hardened again. "Specify. What about this, love, is a 'fucking farce'? As far as I'm aware we have all the cards on the table."

She glared at him, her teeth clenched. "Do we?"

He stared right back at her but for a second his gaze faltered.

What?

She frowned deeper, now less angry and more inquisitive. "Do we?"

They didn't. He didn't know about Tyler. But attack was the best defense.

He nodded, keeping eye contact. "We do."

She looked back at her drink and brought it to her lips. "Seems like I'm gonna need it."

He smiled and drank, too.

"How about we continue this little game of ours."

She sighed. "Seriously?"

His smiled broadened. "Seriously. I make up the rules to this date."

"Aren't you tired of it? Like, do you even have any questions left to ask?"

It was a lie. A million questions came to mind right away.

His expression turned serious again. "I will never have no questions for you, love."

She shook her head. "Would you please stop saying such things?"

He stared her down. "Why?"

She raised her head, an annoyed expression on her face. "Because they make me uncomfortable."

He smirked.

"These are the rules to this game: You have to answer every question I ask you, I have to answer everyone of yours. The goal is to find each other's weaknesses. If we find one, the one with the weakness has to drink. So, obviously, the more points you make, the less drunk you are in the end. A fair bargain, I would say. Now, love, why does it make you uncomfortable?"

She stilled, shocked. Okay, now, this was too much.

She leaned back to compose, her hands on the table for stabilization purposes.

She had no choice. She'd have to comply to his rules in order to save her friends, and he was shameless using all the leverage he had on her in order to bring her down.

But he wouldn't, she wouldn't let him.

Two could play this game and this was the moment that she was going to drop all niceties and go all in. He'd regret ever making this proposition.

She grinned back at him competitively. To her surprise he didn't look taken aback, just pleased.

"You keep making these suggestive comments. I already told you that I have no intention whatsoever of agree to them. You want me, I don't want you. It's as easy as that. Not only that, but you're acting all ungentlemanly about this. I don't like it. I deserve to be respected as a person and my wish is that you stop this. Now I believe you should drink. Because if anyone has had a weakness revealed at this point it was you."

Now, surprise spread on his face. She gave him a smug grin, staring at him with a competitive glint in her eyes.

"Really, you think 'it's that easy'? Well, that _felt_ differently, the other night."

She stared him down, she was prepared for this.

"You're not helping your case. Besides, points are only won in the actual questions."

He raised his eyebrows. "Are they, now? As far as I know the one who makes the rules is _me_."

She cocked her head to the side. "Really? Okay. So you need that, do you? Control? You need to be the one who makes the rules, no matter what the cost?"

He leaned forward, staring her down again.

"And what is it that I'm sacrificing right now?"

She stared right back at him.

"My relationship," she answered, calm and collected.

He looked taken aback, something between hurt and guilt in his eyes.

"You see, there it is again. Personal integrity and stuff. Now I suggest you drink the whole damn bottle and let me ask my question."

He stared at her for a moment as if he needed time to cope with the situation.

Then he smiled, defeated, and raised his glass, downing all of it at once.

"Well played, sweetheart." He filled his glass again, taking a sip of the content immediately. "So, ask away."

"Why do you want a lover? Considering the amount of enemies you most likely have made and your general paranoia, doesn't that sound persuasively like a weakness?"

He smiled as if he'd expected the question.

The word _lover_ hung in the air and a part of her immediately regretted saying it.

"You're right, love." He downed a small sip.

"I want you because you are special, Caroline. In my thousand years of roaming this earth I haven't met a single person like you. You are extremely mature for your age, love, and smart. You are beautiful. You are _strong_. And you are full of light, brighter than anything I have seen before. You are underappreciated here, Caroline. Your friends are a bunch of blind little idiots. You deserve better. And now drink your share, love. Because judging from the look on your face **I** have won a point."

She gulped. How could she have handed him such an obvious invitation to this.

Silently, she cursed.

"You didn't answer the second part of the question."

He licked his lips.

"Yes, it is weakness. But it is worth it." And with these words he gave her another one of these intense stares that seemed to pierce exactly inside her. Not breaking eye contact he drank some wine.

She looked away and raised her glass, too. She'd have to play smarter next time, the war wasn't over yet. But now, it was his turn.

Drinking really was a bad idea. She wondered whether she'd always been so bad at handling her alcohol consumption. Yes, it helped with her cravings. And all her relationships had started with this. Matt, Tyler… No! No, she couldn't think like that, never. Attractions were one thing, a relationship was something entirely else.

"What is it you are the most ashamed of?"

She stared at him in shock. The nerve of his, asking such a question.

"You're not serious," she stated, her voice dry.

"But I am, love," he responded calmly, his fingers playing with the broad edge of his glass.

She tried not to look at it.

The thing she was most ashamed of. She wished it would have been the events of the second night in the tomb, but somehow, it just wasn't.

She knew the answer to his question and it made her stomach squirm.

Damon.

But this was no secret she wanted to tell, never, ever.

She couldn't help but stare down at her half full plate.

She clenched her teeth. She'd been too obvious. She'd tried to lie about this before. He'd immediately caught her.

"The vampire incident that happened to me when I was human."

Immediately his facial expression shifted to worry.

"What happened?"

How do I phrase this?

"I slept with him," she answered, quickly and to the point.

His eyes exploded with fury. "You mean he made you."

She shook her head. "No. At least not the first time." Or part of it.

It didn't help ease his anger. His hands were clutched on the table cloth, knuckles white.

Suddenly he raised his voice, his words hard and controlled.

"It was Damon."

Her eyes widened, as her body fought her mind as to try and not betray her emotions.

"Your reaction confirms my assumption. I will kill him," he stated, calmly.

She shook her head in panic. "No – No! **Please** , please don't do this. You can't. Please. There's been enough death, enough pain. It's okay. It's not like anything you haven't done before."

"Not to you," he clenched through his teeth.

She caught herself.

She took a deep breath and collected herself. Then she stared him down again.

"What do I need to do to make you reconsider?"

His eyes widened, and for a moment he snapped out of his fury.

"You're eager to make another bargain, are you?"

"It seems I have no choice."

He leaned back, visibly clearing and making up his mind.

"I will think of something," he stated, with a low voice.

It sent shivers down her back.

Then she reached to her glass and drank the rest of wine that was left in her glass.

He frowned. "You didn't have to drink for that, love."

She shrugged her shoulders. "It's a weakness, though."

He shook his head. "It isn't. It should never have happened to you and he should burn for it. But this isn't your weakness. Don't ever think that."

She looked away, sighing, while he filled her glass again.

She needed to brace herself for the rest that was to come. She needed to be strong and focused. All of this was long over and all that counted now was this game. And she was playing to win.

"You keep your family in coffins. To keep them silent but also, in your twisted little way, protected. That's a pretty big weakness, isn't it?"

He frowned and then reluctantly nodded.

"Family above all." Then he drank.

She prepared herself for another question. No, there was no weakness here. She was strong.

"You said you enjoyed killing. You want to do it again, but you keep yourself from doing it. You are like an animal in a cage, sooner or later you will break out of it. And it will destroy you. I suppose I won a point."

She shook her head.

"No, you're wrong. This is _strength_. I _will not_ break out. You said so yourself, I am strong and apparently 'full of light'. This is me, and I will protect both the people I love and my humanity."

He shook his head, too, licking his lip. "Love, I've observed a thousand vampires rise and fall. Each and every one, at some point, lost him- or herself to the bloodlust. You will, and you should. You need to realize your full potential, love."

She growled in anger. " **No**! You need to stop assuming everybody's a monster just because you are. That's projection!"

He raised his eyebrows. "Oh, a monster. Am I now, love?"

She leaned forward, anger on her face.

"Anyone who kills an innocent solely for the purpose of hurting her protégée who has done nothing but comply to your wishes, who _sacrificed her own life_ for your stupid power fantasies, is a monster. And I know exactly how you did it; I was the one to comfort her. And you did it because she couldn't let me die. Jenna died for me. You killed her _as punishment for saving me_. Do you have any idea what that means to me? So, yes, you are a monster."

Hurt and regret flashed across his face.

He raised his glass and drank. She did, too.

"What happened with your sister?" she asked, trying to hit home.

He clenched his teeth.

"We had a disagreement about how I should treat her. Right before you lured me to that bloody cave."

She elevated her eyebrows.

"Did you, now? What a surprise."

He drank again. "Enough of that."

She snorted.

"Why did you kiss me, yesterday."

Slam-dunk, just like this. The shameless bastard. She gritted her teeth.

"I was drunk."

He raised his eyebrows.

"…and?"

"I wanted to," she stated, shortly, downing parts of her drink. She could feel the first effects of the alcohol.

"And why did you want to?" he insisted.

"I already answered the question."

He leaned forward, smirking. "Not even close. I make the rules to this game."

She sighed and looked away. She needed more time.

"Where is the bathroom?"

He squinted, then paused.

"Down the hall, on the right," he answered.

"Okay." She got up and left the table, heading towards where he had directed her.

A bathroom she found. For being a first floor bathroom, this was gigantic, and luxurious. She frowned as she used it, nevertheless eyeing every detail of it. He was really a materialist, wasn't he? Or maybe he was more of a hedonist.

She needed to make up her mind. What should she tell him?

She was attracted to him. She'd have to admit to it. Maybe this was the way; she would admit to the physical part of the attraction and downplay the rest.

She washed her hands and fixed her hair in the mirror. This was the way to go.

And then she would head right on into battle.

Arriving back at the table she found him lounging in his chair with his glass of wine in his hands, suavely shaking it around.

She sat back down and straightened her posture.

"About your question. The answer is simple. You're not too bad looking."

He raised his eyebrows, grinning smugly. "Am I, now? But that's not the only reason, is it? I don't recall you trying anything like this before."

"You… behaved yourself before that."

"And you kiss everyone who behaves himself?"

She cocked her head to the side and stared him down. "Maybe I do. When I'm drunk."

He chuckled. "Does that mean I get another kiss if I continue getting you drunk?"

She halted. She wasn't as in form as she had thought she was. Somehow it seemed like he was winning every argument. But, maybe, she was, too. It was an equal game of winning and losing, painful, yet shamefully _rewarding_ as well. It _should be_ a war. And she should be winning.

"This game is pointless."

He smiled. "Does that mean I am winning?"

"No!" she exclaimed. "It means nobody is winning! All we do is lose – both of us. This doesn't do anything but make things worse than they already are."

"How bad are things exactly, love?"

"Do I have to tell you again?" she snapped at him, angry.

"Yes," he confirmed, taking a mouth full of wine.

"I cheated on Tyler, resulting in him _breaking up with me_. And I spend my time with a serial killer _sociopath_ , if you insist. Which isn't, in any way, dangerous. Especially since he seems to be keen on learning each and every one of my weaknesses. _This_ is what's wrong with this situation!"

He licked his lips, concentrated. Somehow things had shifted again. This would have hit him a lot harder just a day ago. When had they grown so accustomed to each other's low punches?

"I don't plan on hurting you, Caroline. All I want is to get to know you."

"And obviously, the only way you can do this is if I'm trapped with you in a room with alcohol."

He didn't falter. "Apparently that seems to be the case."

She sighed. "You really are a dick, you know?"

He smiled to himself and then reached across the table, to her surprise for a knife she saw he had prepared. She froze.

"Then how about we adapt the rules of this game? Truth or dare, wasn't it?"

He lifted up his arm and pushed back his sleeve and then, without a warning, brought the knife down to his wrist. She stilled and stared at him with wide eyes as he held his bleeding wrist over an empty glass and filled it with his blood.

Then, he raised his gaze back to hers, smirking devilishly.

"For instance, you could drink this instead of answering the next question."

She frowned. Drink _his blood_? She'd done it before, but there had been a reason. She'd been dying, he'd almost killed her.

To her shame, she had to admit that it was the best thing she'd ever tasted. Better than human blood, fresh from the vein.

Still, this creeped the shit out of her.

"Honestly. You want me to drink your blood?"

He smiled, licking the excess blood of his wrists, his eyes not changing into their hybrid form, but never leaving hers. There was something feral in his gaze and it made a shiver run through her.

Against her better judgment she felt a pulling sensation of lust in her lower stomach.

This was not good. He was playing his cards well.

"It's called blood sharing," he answered, pensively. "Old vampire tradition."

She eyed him suspiciously. "I'm guessing that was your invention."

He shook his head. "No, this is an original Kol," he smirked, "pun intended. I never bloodshare unless I have to."

She frowned. "And you have to, now?"

He smiled softly, his eyes betraying a hint of mirth. "I want to."

Then he stood up and motioned for her to follow him.

"But first I want to switch liquor. I still have a bourbon collection I need to show you."


	13. Chapter 13

She got up on shaky feet, trying to gain control of her reactions.

She didn't exactly know if she liked the direction this was going.

She found herself both afraid and excited.

He moved suavely, carefully, but she saw the predator lurking.

He led her to a bar, then kneeled down and instead of picking up the alcohol that stood on top of it, he opened a small door, revealing a safe. Quickly, he typed in a combination, opened it and reached inside. He pulled out a very, very expensive looking bottle and placed it on the top of the bar.

Smiling as if he was in his element, he also pulled out two very, very expensive looking glasses, stood up and started filling both of them.

Then he took the glass filled with his blood and poured some of it in one of the glasses.

She held back a gasp. Okay. Well, maybe this would make it a little less awkward.

He turned to her, smiled, and to her surprise held the one without blood into her direction.

"First, you will try this pure."

Accepting her fate she took it. It wasn't actually that much of a bad experience to look forward to.

Keeping her posture she took a sip of it and was both surprised by the strength of the alcohol as well as of the mere _deliciousness_ of the it. The stuff she'd drunk at the tomb had been nothing against this, a stale shadow of this. Without a doubt, this was exactly how it was supposed to taste like.

She looked up at him.

"Good," she answered, keeping her voice steady.

He smiled and took the glass from her, instead handing her the other one. He brought the glass from which she'd just drunk up to his lips and took a sip of it himself.

Again, she was embarrassed by the intimacy of this gesture.

She stared down to her drink. Somehow this felt awkward.

She was already feeling increasingly dizzy from both the wine and the bourbon.

Nevertheless, the temptation was too great, even if she wanted to resist longer.

Slowly, she raised the glass to her lips, staring into empty space instead of anywhere near him.

She felt his eyes on her though, and it made her uncomfortable.

At the smell of his blood, she forced down the urge to change to her vampire face.

She took a sip, and it hit her harder than she had anticipated. Without question, this was the most delicious thing she'd ever tasted. She let out a gasp, her head tingling, and without second thought she raised the glass to her lips again and took a bigger gulp.

 _Yes_.

She hadn't even noticed he had moved but suddenly he was behind her, hands on her shoulders, lips against her ear. Despite her absent-minded state, she tensed up.

" _I could give you this and so much more_ ," he whispered and she couldn't help but feel a shiver rush down her spine.

She tried to shake herself out of it.

She should be giving him hell for this, but somehow she didn't feel like it. Her mind was cloudy.

No, this didn't really bother her. What bothered her was that he knew about Damon.

She felt her heart clench painfully at the thought.

"You cannot hurt my friends," she uttered, her voice a lot more altered than she was comfortable with.

He sighed against her ear, which made her shudder again.

"You consider him a friend?"

She nodded. "Somehow, yes, I do."

"As you phrased it earlier, I value your personal integrity. You deserve so much better, love."

"And that's supposed to be you?" She should have brought herself out of this situation, by now.

She should have pushed him off of her, but for some reason she hadn't. She didn't want to.

The pull was strong. A shamefully big part of her just wanted to give in, relax into his arms and forget all the pain and worry that was chasing her now.

But she was stronger than that.

"Yes," he answered, "And I can offer you the whole world in addition to that."

His hands sensually stroked down her arms and she halted, then stepped out of his grip, turning around towards him.

"It's my turn for a question – or a dare. And since I already drank your cocktail, I actually have two."

He smiled.

"Go ahead, love."

"Can you drink your own blood?"

He grimaced. "Please, love, that's disgusting."

 _Even if it is mixed with mine?_ Her eyes widened and she froze. She hadn't just thought that. Damn.

Angrily she handed him the drink. "Do it," she commanded.

He'd just licked his blood off his own wrist. This couldn't be that much of a challenge.

He grimaced again and then took a small sip. He contorted his face. "At least I can enjoy the alcohol. That was a very mean move, sweetheart, I might have to play dirtier now."

She didn't let that bother her one bit.

"Now answer this question: You say you value my personal integrity. How can you say this, since you want me to be with a sociopathic serial killer who destroys everything he touches?"

His face froze a little, but he caught himself, again. At what point had this got so shamelessly direct? Somehow it didn't bother her in the least.

She took the glass with the cocktail in it from the counter and drank another slug.

Ecstasy.

"I might be a tad bit selfish in that department," he confessed.

"Caroline, you deserve to be worshipped," he continued, his eyes boring into hers again. She scoffed. "And I could be a better man for you."

She gulped hard. Through the dizziness of the alcohol she knew she should feel boundaries breaking. But she didn't, it was like all of them had mysteriously been torn down already, without her consent.

She stared back at him.

"A thousand year old habit is hard to break."

He smiled sadly. Then his expression turned hard again. She took another gulp of her drink, she was almost done. No matter what else, this tasted too good to waste it.

"You'd be surprised about the things I'm capable of."

She kept her gaze fixed on his.

"And I can handle you," she stated, her voice as clear as possible in her state. "The problem is I just don't want to." Inhibitions lowered, she emptied her glass. Sighing, she sat down the glass on the table.

Suddenly he approached her and she felt herself instinctively backing up into the bar.

Damn, she shouldn't be running from him. This wasn't like her.

Then again she should. She was so confused at this point.

He stood inches before her, too close, and looked down at her with a calculating gaze.

"You say that all the time," he uttered, slowly and lowly. "The question is – do you mean it?"

She stared back at him, angrily.

He turned his gaze to the empty glass on the counter. "As I can see you finished your drink. Which means that it's my turn."

He focused his gaze on her again, catching her eyes.

"I want you to drink from me again," he stated, starting to unbutton the first few buttons of his shirt. Her stomach dropped as he freed the side of his neck from the fabric. "But this time I want you to drink from the vein. Here." His gaze flickered to his exposed skin and suddenly nervousness overcame her.

He was going to make her drink from _his vein_ , and not just any vein, _the one that made him most vulnerable_. She gasped in shock.

"Are you sure?" she mumbled, not quite the composed person she wanted to be.

He nodded. "I am."

She caught herself, as much as she could right now. If she would do this she would do it right. She took a deliberate step forward and changed to her vampire face.

He looked on in awe.

She raised both her hands and lashed onto his shoulder, biting down hard.

He groaned and despite herself, both his reaction and the ecstasy of the taste of his blood in her throat caused her to let out a mewl. He took a sharp breath and then slowly raised his arms up around her, embracing her neither too closely nor too carefully.

She felt his hands caressing the fabric on her back as she relaxed into him, feeling the blood slide down her throat. She had been wrong. This tasted even better than the cocktail.

From time to time he let out a small sigh. She wondered – was he actually enjoying this? Was there a way to enjoy being fed on? She remembered her own experiences in the matter and shuddered.

Slowly, she drew her fangs from his neck and licked off the excess blood from her lips. She wanted to lick the blood off of his wound, too, but she was sober enough to stop herself.

This was going way too far.

"Why do I feel like you enjoyed this?"

He chuckled, and she felt the vibrations in her own chest. She liked that feeling.

"Because I did."

She frowned, still trapped in this bubble of bliss that kept her from being in full control. She didn't let go of him, somehow she felt like she needed to be steadied. She also liked the feel of him, more than she would like to admit to. She felt the need to resist slip away.

"How can one possibly enjoy being fed on?" she asked, her voice vacant.

He turned his head towards her. "It can be enjoyable Caroline, especially between vampires."

She pondered about this for a moment.

"So you tricked me?"

She felt him smirk. "Maybe I did."

Did he want to drink from her, too? She was torn. On the one hand the thought of being fed on scared her half to death. Especially after that strange panic thing she'd experienced in the tomb. On the other hand she felt that she _wanted_ him, too – a thought which scared her half to death, again.

Alright, she was making progress; she was achieving what she wanted.

She was here to make him like her enough to spare Tyler.

As far as she could tell she was making progress.

He might feel like he was tricking her, but she had made sure that, at the end of the day, she was winning the race.

She decided to just act on her urges. This was okay, it was the key to success. She hoped she wouldn't regret this when she was sober. Ugh, whatever, so she would. No, maybe she needed to be drunk to be able to do it.

She decided to drink more, later.

"It's my turn. I have a question. You don't want to feed on me, too, do you?"

She brazed herself for the answer, both anticipation and fear cursing through her veins.

He leaned back and locked his gaze with hers, a serious expression on his face.

"Not if you don't want me to," his eyes were piercing hers again and she still felt his warmth all around her. She loved his scent. She wanted to bury her head in his chest and inhale it. "But yes, I'd like to."

She frowned, averting his gaze. "I- I don't know."

He nodded. " _I_ know." She looked back up at him, no vulnerability betrayed on her face. "I won't force you into this, Caroline. You will have to ask me."

She chuckled. "Like _that_ ever is going to happen."

She took a step back and he freed her of the embrace.

As if she was gonna make it that easy for him.

"We have time," he stated, as she turned towards the bar and poured herself another drink.

Taking a swig, she looked back at him again, the sharp taste of the alcohol almost sobering her up again.

"What are you talking about? This is all there is. I'll be gone as soon as this is over."

He smiled. "Well, as far as I know I still have some leverage. I'll let Damon live if I you give me more of your time."

She stared up at him, frowning.

She sighed, taking another sip of her drink. Then she took hold of another of the glasses on the bar and poured him a drink as well.

He smiled and took it.

"How long are we going to play this game?" she asked.

His smile broadened and he took a step forward. "Until I win."

She stared up at him. "Or lose."

He chuckled. "But I never do."

She raised her eyebrows playfully, feeling the effect of the alcohol burning in her throat again.

Good.

"Oh, do you? As far as I know Katherine Pierce is still a free woman."

His expression turned serious again. "Hardly a free woman. She's an eternal slave of her fear, always looking behind her shoulder at every turn. Paranoia is her main activity. She invented the vervein trick, you know? Well, I probably would have if I needed to. This is her punishment, and I will make her suffer from it until there is nothing left of her but a woman who _runs_. Don't underestimate me, I know exactly where she is and what she's doing most of the time. Then, one day, I will hunt her down and she will be almost glad that it has come to an end. Trust me, I would know."

She shuddered, evading his gaze.

"You're cruel."

"Yes," he answered. "I am. But only if I want to be."

He stepped forward again.

She looked away, feeling the alcohol clouding her vision.

"Okay, I agree. But you leave Damon alone. Completely."

He sighed. "The things you ask of me, love."

He smiled, reaching out and suggesting to her that he wanted to toast to it. She complied.

Once again, the glass clinked and she tried to recall when that had happened the last time.

It had been at the beginning of all this.

Yes, as anticipated, her head was a mess, a tangled up mess of contradictory wishes and desires. But she felt surprisingly clear, despite the harsh dizziness that was claiming her mind. It was like all the other voices had turned down their volume, while one single one stood out.

This felt right, she was actually enjoying this. She wanted to give into him, _just a little_. She was getting closer to her goal. She recalled the way he'd held her just moments again and despite what she knew she should feel, it felt good. It felt like progress.

She tried to remember why this was supposed to be a bad idea, but she found herself unable to.

She looked up at him, her vision blurring with the movement.

"The deal is done," he uttered, lowly, setting his empty glass down on the counter.

She nodded, finishing hers and setting it down with a thud.

"It is," she answered, trying not to move too much because she wasn't steady on her feet.

He eyed her, curiously.

"It's my turn," she said and at that exact moment, she let go again.

"I want you to kiss me."

His eyes widened in surprise. A frown spread on his face.

"Are you sure?"

Oh, wow, he asked for her permission even when she'd expressively given it.

"Yes," she nodded, taking a step towards him.

He licked his lips, a composed expression on his face, and took a step forward himself, closing the gap between them. She had missed his warmth. Being a hybrid, bodily heat was something he'd obtained again when breaking his curse.

Then he lightly placed his hands on her arms and bowed down, bringing his lips down to hers and started to kiss her, gently. Instantly, she melted into his arms again. It was as good as the last time, which made sense since, once again, she was drunk.

She responded and they started a whole different kind of game.

She ran her hands over his chest and she felt him gasp into her mouth. With that, she let her tongue invade his mouth and in turn she felt his hands stroking down her arms.

He really was a good kisser. A thousand years of experience really _did_ make a damn hell of a difference. She let herself get lost in the moment, and it felt so good, it should have been illegal. After all the banter and the talking this was easy. It felt natural. Her body melted perfectly into his as he extended his arms around her back and pulled her closer.

He had one hand pressed onto the small of her back and it caused shivers to run through her body. She clung to him for support and in turn he intensified the kiss.

Every kind of doubt had fled her mind and all that was left was the taste of blood and bourbon and _him_ and she leaned in farther, kissing him more fervently. He responded, instantly, mirroring her motions.

She found her hands unbuttoning his shirt and she didn't care.

He kissed her harder and she felt as if she wouldn't be able to keep herself steady of her legs if he wouldn't hold her. She felt his hand move lower, until it rested on her hip.

She wanted this way too much.

His touch sent tingling sensations through her skin and she wanted him to move even lower.

Never once breaking the kiss she continued opening his shirt, ripped off the few last buttons while intensifying the kiss even more. Then she slipped her hands inside the shirt, running them over his hard chest.

He responded with a growl and finally moved his hand lower, cupping her backside.

She gasped, pressing up against him closer. She could feel his arousal.

The ecstasy took over her perception violently. She opened her eyes only to see grey spots appearing in front of her.

She broke away and took a deep breath.

He relaxed, letting his hand slip back to her hip.

"Did I fulfill your wish to your satisfaction, love?" he asked, breathlessly.

"Hmmm," she answered, resting her head on his chest, engulfed in his warmth and his scent.

He smirked, pulling her closer again, his fingers drawing patterns on her back.

"You ruined a perfectly good, very expensive shirt."

She chuckled into his chest, still very much dazed.

"Then you might need to retaliate."

She felt him still, and then his hands on her shoulder, pushing off her jacket.

She leaned back and let him.

He looked down at her, and in his eyes she saw a mixture of lust and affection.

Maybe he really _did_ care for her more than she'd expected. A warm feeling spread in her chest and she had to look away.

He put his hands on the hem of her top. "No, I guess I can refrain from ruining your shirt in return."

"It's a top," she mumbled, both the little know-it-all and the fashion victim living up inside her.

He smiled affectionately and carefully pushed the fabric up and over her head, which she helped him with by raising up her arms.

He pulled her closer.

He kissed her again, gentle and caring.

The warmth in her chest spread again. And she knew what it was.

Her heart stopped and she pulled back.

He opened his eyes and fixed his worried gaze to hers.

She saw grey and red dots again, and as soon as she felt herself falling, he caught her again.

"Careful, love."

It was far too late for that, she was long gone.

The feeling was familiar. She'd felt it both with Matt and with Tyler. Actually, that feeling was reserved for Tyler only.

She felt a rush of terror coming over her. No, **no**.

She clung onto his shirt, desperate to somehow ease the internal battle she was waging.

What was she doing here? She was kissing Klaus, she was drunk. Yes, she'd tried to find a way to make him like her enough to listen to her when she'd ask him to spare Tyler.

And that other date had just given her an opportunity to drag this out longer.

So what the hell was she doing?

"Caroline, what's going on?" he asked, concern in his voice.

She snorted, feeling far from in a funny mood. _What's going on_?

He of all people should know.

She looked up at him and the way he looked at her broke her heart again.

In one swift motion her lips were on his again. He jolted up in surprise but pretty soon kissed her back, this time not closing his eyes, his arms draped around her, pulling her in. Then he pulled away again.

"Wait," he said. And suddenly she was rushed to another room, so quickly that she couldn't quite keep up with it.

He placed her sitting on a bed. She looked around. Probably _his_ bed.

"I think you need to sit down for a moment."

She nodded, stunned by the sudden change of scenery.

Damn alcohol. He sat down beside her, close, but didn't make any attempts to continue what they had started.

And she wanted to hate him for this, for being so fucking considerate. But she just couldn't. On the other hand – bringing her up to his _bedroom_ was probably not that much of a _considerate_ thing to do.

Instead all that filled her mind was something entirely else. She liked him. Way too much.

She was _falling in love with him_.

She gasped at the thought, looking down at her hands again.

"Please, just," she turned her head towards him. She was not going to be the victim of her own emotions. She was not going to be the damsel in distress for him to tend to.

He looked at her, worry evident on his face.

Her gaze hardened. "Shut up," she ended her sentence and lashed onto him again, kissing him harshly. He responded, but in a much more gentle fashion.

Angrily she pushed him back onto the bed and straddled him.

She saw his eyes widen in surprise.

This was quite the change of scenery.

" _I hate you_ ," she whispered and she saw a flicker of hurt flash through his eyes. She tore away his shirt and came down on him again, moving her lips against his while her hands skimmed over his body.

He growled, his hands grasping her back again, he mirrored her movements with both his tongue and his hands.

She felt herself grinding into him and she drew back, smiling viciously as he gasped, staring up at her in lust and wonder. Then his eyes darkened.

Suddenly, she was pinned to her back and he hovered above her, kissing her again, running his hands over her breasts. She whimpered, and he started to touch and kiss her more tenderly, pouring an affection into his movements that stole her breath. She moved against him, once more losing herself in the ecstasy. This was way better than guilt. This was heaven.

Suddenly he pulled away, pushed himself off of her and sat down at the edge of his bed again. He was breathing heavily.

"We should stop." His voice was rough.

It pulled her right back to reality.

Slowly, she felt her head clearing up.

Strangely enough, the guilt didn't come rushing in again. It was like she was in a bubble.

She didn't want to look at him, so instead she checked out his room. It was like him. Dark and tastefully decorated, much space. Still lying on her bed she raised her eyes to the ceiling – dark wood – and then even farther to the wall behind his bed.

There were framed pictures on it. Or wait, no pictures, _letters_. She sat up and turned around to look at them. She frowned. Something was off.

Then she stood up and walked towards them, so close that she could touch them.

She skimmed over a few of them. These were love letters. Written to other women, by other men.

What was this? Why would he keep this in his bedroom? A collection of other people's love letters?

"What's this?" she asked, her voice dry.

He snapped his head towards her, an unreadable expression on his face.

A moment of silence passed.

Then, finally, he answered.

"Trophies."

Immediately, reality crushed down on her and she sobered up. Her eyes widened.

"These are…" She gasped. " _These are letters of women you killed._ "

He licked his lips nervously, not denying the implications of her words.

" _What am I doing here_?" she whispered, more to herself than him but his eyes widened, realizing just what this meant.

Quickly, she shot up, down into the living room, swiftly pulling both her top and her jacket back on and grasping her purse.

He stood before her still shirtless, a solemn expression on his face.

"Shall I escort you back home?"

She shook her head, evading his gaze and then shot out the door, towards the front door.

He was in her way again.

"You will tell me when it is I shall pick you up?"

She gasped. The _nerve_ of this man!

"Just get the hell out of my way," she spat, pushing him and then rushing through the front door.

In a second she was in her car and then she was driving, still intoxicated, the wheel under her hands not giving her the feeling of control she craved.

When she arrived home, she quickly rushed into the bathroom, washing her face.

The cold water felt good, felt necessary. But it wasn't enough.

How was she ever supposed to wash him off again?

She shook her head, and despite the fact that most off all she felt numb, she felt silent tears fall down her cheeks.

She didn't sob, she didn't wail, she just let the tears slip down from her eyes for a moment, silently, washing them off the moment they appeared.

Then they were gone and all that was left was silence.

Quickly she got into bed, burying herself under the covers.

And she closed her eyes and forced herself to sleep, knowing very well what it was she was going to be dreaming about.


	14. Chapter 14

She woke up feeling blurry.

She'd been having a nightmare or _something_ , nothing, however, that could be made up by a non-asleep mind. The predominant emotional background had been a constant struggle between feeling absolutely hopeless and absolutely in control. Several different scenes had been played, altered and replayed in her mind and all of them featured Klaus.

Despite this and despite the event of last night, strangely, she felt okay.

She supposed this had to do with her waking up from a scenario in which she'd had the upper hand.

It was twenty minutes before her alarm was set.

She rose, put on her bathrobe and went down to the kitchen, pouring herself a cup of the coffee her mother had left on the counter, and took a moment to think.

So she had made out with Klaus.

And Klaus had love letters of his victims framed on his bedroom wall.

She sighed, taking a sip of the warm beverage.

As expected, first, the guilt kicked in. _Tyler_.

But this was for his best, she'd already made up her mind about that. It was twisted and basically unforgivable. But it was most likely the only way to keep him alive.

Then something very close to fear overcame her. Even though she'd tried really hard to remind her and him both of the fact that he was a sociopathic serial killer, somehow the full extent of what that meant had managed to slip her mind. She knew that he fed on humans, she suspected that he enjoyed killing them, but breaking into their houses and _stealing their love letters_ to _frame_ and put them up on the wall of his most private place kind of added a whole new dimension to the equation.

Back a year ago she had just been a teenage cheerleader and now here she was confronted with a fucking _serial killer_. The kind of person that was hunted by the FBI, the kind of person that would probably have gotten life or even death row if he was _human_.

But he wasn't and she wasn't and as much as she disliked it, killing was kind of their nature. Plus she knew part of his background and what exactly had made him this way. He came from a different time, a time in which war had been every day business and violence a socially accepted means to attain power. All this turned the whole situation a little more grey than black and white.

Which made the idea that she had actually kissed such a person a lot more bearable but still not really okay.

And then there was the part she'd anticipated but honestly would have preferred to ignore.

She was falling for him.

She swallowed and took a moment to grasp the full weight of what that meant.

She was falling in love with a person that had probably the highest body count of every serial killer in the history of mankind. She was falling in love with a person that had tried to kill Elena and Bonnie. She was falling in love with a person that turned people into his own personal slaves – including Tyler, who was now rightfully trying to break them out of their loss of free will.

She was falling in love with a cruel man, a man who had probably done what Damon had done to her, countless times to countless women.

She set down the coffee, suddenly slightly nauseated.

And yet he was kind to her, yet he tried to respect her personal integrity, yet he had spared her friends' life for her, just after they had tried to kill him. Yet he gave her that look in his eyes that told her he was genuinely…

She stilled.

At this point, especially after his behavior last night, there were only two options left. Either he was really even more of a master of manipulation than she had thought and he was playing her this whole time (she couldn't think of a possible motive).

Or he was _in love with her_.

She stared down at the coffee, accepting another uncomfortable reality.

This led straight to another aspect of this morally complicated situation she found herself in.

He was in love with her and she was playing him.

Which was something she was _not_ comfortable doing.

Well, one the one hand, as she had earlier established, she was not playing him completely. On the other hand he had kind off brought it on himself with his actions. It was his fault that Tyler's life was in danger. He'd forced him into becoming a hybrid, just as he had the others Tyler was trying to free. It was injustice, it was wrong and she was answering with something bad but not as bad.

It became complicated again when she noticed that in some way she was not only feeling sorry for doing something that was rationally and morally wrong but also for doing it to _him_.

There was a part of her that didn't want him hurt, despite what her brain told her.

She couldn't let this happen again, next time she had to draw back a little.

She was not selling her body for Tyler's life. She was apparently selling her heart but she'd have to live with the consequences of that. It was something that was out of her control and all she could do was try and act as rationally as possible.

No alcohol next time. If possible no kissing.

She sighed again, taking another sip of her coffee.

Another factor of the equation was that she tended to lose some amount of control in his presence and felt herself drawn to putting bad ideas into action like a moth to a candle.

Like asking him to kiss her last night.

Despite what she had expected, yes, she felt guilty but no, she didn't feel ashamed at the memory. Actually she felt kind of turned on by it.

She wanted him.

And she knew that she should never, could never have him.

What did she feel about Tyler? Gladly she took note of the fact that her feelings for him hadn't changed considerably. Maybe the sexual part of the attraction had temporarily been redirected but she still loved him. She still wanted to be with him.

Which was most likely never going to work out either.

But she had to try to get him back as soon as this was over.

And when that wouldn't work she'd most definitely _not_ take Klaus instead. She'd have to get over both of them.

This year was graduation. It'd probably be best if she left for a college far, far away, in order to deal with the situation. And this was the best case scenario.

This was in case she actually managed to get Klaus to not kill Tyler.

She'd have to anticipate that at a certain point he would find out and then the cards would turn. He'd feel deceived at first but if what he felt for her was real she would be able to turn the whole thing around.

She would most likely have to make some kind of bargain.

She was not going to sell her body (which she didn't really think he'd want, not like this) or an eternity at his side (which was something she didn't anticipate either, but who knew how he would react when he found out she'd played him, especially after his history). If he didn't go on a total murder rampage he would probably want her to give him an honest shot at something in return.

And she was scared by how much she actually liked that idea, despite the fact that she was absolutely sure she wouldn't, couldn't do it.

She drank the rest of her coffee and then got up, putting the cup into the sink.

She had made up her mind as good she could as of now. It was time to get dressed and go to school.

* * *

Elena and Stefan were back, but Tyler was still absent. As soon as he saw her Stefan pulled her to the side, while Elena walked away with Matt.

Apparently there was a curfew on the whole town.

"Tyler got shot by the hunter yesterday, at the memorial."

Her eyes widened in shock. "Is he okay?"

Stefan nodded. "Yes, but he got another late night visit in the hospital. The hunter took some of his… hybrid venom."

She took a deep breath. She didn't like the idea of Tyler being in danger.

And there was nothing she could do for him. She couldn't even talk to him.

She wished she could be there for him, protect him in case the hunter showed up again.

"He brought a girl, yesterday."

She frowned again. "What?"

"A brunette, she's from out of town. Do you know her?"

Caroline was about to shake her head, when she remembered. "Yes. …Hayley, I think. She's helping him with the thing I told you about." Rebekah was possibly roaming the hallways and she didn't want to be too open about what exactly it was Tyler was being helped with.

Stefan nodded, licking his lips.

"So… how's your little problem going?" He was obviously talking about Klaus.

She sighed. "I might just have gotten myself into a pretty big rotting mess."

He turned towards her. "What happened?"

She took a deep breath, deciding to spill the information. The relevant one at least.

"You need to tell Damon to stay away. I think he's pretty keen on ripping his heart out."

"Why? I mean I know that but we made a deal back then, he won't harm him. It was why I agreed to come with him in the first place."

Caroline nodded. "Things changed." She didn't want to go into detail, it would mean that she had to tell him much more than she was comfortable with, here in the hallway.

"Anyway, I made a deal, too. It seems I got myself another date _for Damon's life_." She spat out the last words with a sour expression.

Stefan elevated his eyebrows but refrained from commenting farther.

"What about Elena, how is she holding up?"

He sighed. "You're not gonna like it. Right now she's feeding from Matt."

Shock spread on her face. " _What_?"

Stefan had an apologetic look on his face. "It's the only way, we've tried everything. She can't keep down the blood bags and…" his face turned angry for a second "she can't drink _Damon's_ blood either."

She frowned. Wasn't that blood sharing? She supposed this was a good situation to get some information about the subject, since she had done it with Klaus. She swallowed as she tried to keep the blush from her face.

"Uhm, so vampires can drink other vampire's blood?" she asked, her eyes flicking to the left for a second.

Stefan nodded, his teeth clenched. "It's called blood sharing. It's a pretty intimate thing between vampires. I could rip his head off for doing that."

She could vividly recall the taste of his blood on her tongue, his arms wrapped around her, the noises he made. She looked away, gulping again. _Intimate_ , alright.

"What do you mean by intimate?" she asked, hoping her interest wouldn't cause him to get too suspicious.

He frowned. "I always forget there's so much you don't know. You're way too good at being a vampire for your age." She smiled. "By intimate I mean it's basically vampire sex. Some people even combine it. I… I used to do it back in the twenties. With Rebekah."

Caroline nearly choked but then caught herself by feigning a sour expression. Okay, the thought of Stefan having 'vampire sex' with Rebekah was pretty revolting. "Ew."

But then again – _vampire sex_? Seriously? And he had tricked her into it?

Suddenly she was steaming. "I think I might need to go to the bathroom."

With that she stomped off into the girls' room, banging the door behind her.

A few girls were inside and she decided to go for an empty class room instead. When she finally found one she closed the door behind her and leant against it.

_Vampire sex_.

Oh, she knew exactly what he was trying to do. He was trying to manipulate her into liking him by bribing her with his blood, just as he had tried to with the bracelet and the dress and the bourbon.

But he was also _stealing_ intimacy by not telling her about the full meaning of the whole thing. She ground her teeth against each other.

The problem was, it was working.

His blood tasted too damn good.

_'_ _I won't force you into this, Caroline. You will have to ask me.'_

This deceitful little bastard. The memory gave her chills again.

Torn between rage and excitement, she tried to shake them away. None of that now.

School.

* * *

When she returned to class, apparently Rebekah had pulled a little stunt with Elena, staking her with a pencil and smearing blood all over her face. Elena was seething as Caroline finally managed to calm her own anger. Which was admittedly difficult watching Rebekah provoke Elena all throughout class. This was Elena's first day as a vampire in school and Rebekah was making it really difficult for her. Hadn't it been enough that she had _killed_ her? A family of ancient lunatics.

Rebekah was throwing a ditching party this afternoon and the longer she thought about it the more she liked the thought of going. Maybe she could collect some information about Klaus.

Chances were the hunter would be there, so maybe she could somehow distract him from Tyler.

And Elena really needed a bit of fun.

Later, in the break, she sat out at the stoners pitch with Stefan and Elena, who was pacing around angrily.

"It was a valiant first day effort," Caroline tried to calm her down. "No one will judge you if you wanna go home."

"I don't wanna go home. I …wanna take the white oak stake and kill her. That's how mad I am, she made me _murderous_." A full blown case of new-vampire heightened emotions.

"How about we just leave the murdering to – Damon," Stefan interjected, getting up from his sitting spot.

She didn't stop pacing around. "And- and then do what? _Ignore_ her to death?"

Stefan faced her. "Look, she's trying to make herself feel better. She _knows_ that everybody hates her so she's trying to hate _harder_."

Elena scoffed.

"I tell you what," Stefan said, turning around towards Caroline for a moment. "Let's just skip the rest of the day. Go have some fun. I feel like this day is really lacking in fun."

Elena was still glowering and Caroline tried to give her an assuring smile.

Then, still tense, Elena nodded. "Yeah. Okay, fine. We'll go to her party and show her that she _can't_ intimidate me." Well, that didn't sound like the best of ideas.

Stefan nodded.

"I just have to go home and change first."

With that Elena turned around and left, giving Caroline a quick wave goodbye. Well, this wasn't looking too well.

Stefan turned around, giving her a pointed look. She raised her eyebrows.

"Does she seem a little off-balance to you?"

"Yeah," Stefan answered as Caroline stood up. "She's _channeling_ her emotions into rage. It makes her feel like she has purpose. I used to do that, too, when I was – you know."

"Ripper-you?" she proposed.

"Yeah." He stared off vacantly for a moment, then gestured with his hand to underline his words. "She needs to come to terms with it, confront it, let it in before she can… let it go."

Caroline had her arms crossed and nodded with an ironic expression on her face. Therapist-Stefan.

The both of them prepared to leave. "You're good at this, you know that? You saved my vampire-life, now you're saving hers. You should write _a book_ , go on the view…"

"Hm," he nodded, grinning appreciatively.

Her expression turned serious again.

"I think it's best if both of us look after her at that anti-curfew-party. We wouldn't want her to get herself in any trouble."

Stefan nodded. "Yeah. We can't have her get herself staked. There's a hunter running free. At this rate she'll have 'vampire' written all over her forehead if Rebekah provokes her any more."

She sighed. "But before that, I'll have to go change, too."

He smiled at her. "See you later then."

She nodded and they parted ways.

* * *

_'_ _I will take you out for dinner and then we will visit a club. I am going to be picking you up this time. Inform me about a convenient time.'_

Caroline stared down at the new envelope that had left on her bed. _On her bed_.

He had been in her room, _again_.

Anger rose in her chest. Channeling her emotions into anger, huh? Well, it was most definitely working – not just for Elena. Being angry at him was easy, it blocked out all the guilt.

For a moment she let herself.

She took her phone and sent him a text.

_There will be no alcohol consumption._

And no blood sharing for that matter. As far as she was concerned the last thing she would do was walk right into that trap again. She'd have to give him a minor tantrum on the next date – or maybe a major one.

_That's a shame. But as you wish._

She grunted. 'That's a shame' – sure. Because there was no other way to get her into bed.

She had changed into a cute pink party dress and a pair of heels. Time to have some fun.

* * *

The party was a blast. She was actually a little jealous, it was well-planned. Basically the whole school was partying hard on Rebekah's new property.

And some property it was. Whoever had died for it had definitely had it good as long as they got to enjoy it.

Elena went off to the kitchen and Stefan went to look for some harder alcohol. Caroline fetched herself a beer outside and observed the party, slightly jealous (how did Rebekah manage to throw such a party, hadn't she been in a coffin for most of modern time?), when she spotted Kol, drinking and joking with some girls.

She thought for a moment and then walked up to him. When he spotted her, his lips quirked up into a sarcastic smirk. (They really were brothers)

He placed his arm around the shoulders of one of the girls and whispered something in her ear that made her giggle, then turned to walk towards Caroline.

"I see Klaus' little blonde infatuation made it to my sister's party. Quite a blast, isn't it?"

"I'm not Klaus' anything," she snapped, and then, feigning a displeased expression while looking around, she snorted. "And no, the party is not that great. I've thrown better ones. Actually, there shouldn't even be one, there's a _vampire hunter_ in town."

He raised his eyebrows, but his smirk indicated that he already knew.

"Well, that's a shame." She took a sip of her beer. "May I inquire as to why you so blatantly put yourself in danger, then?"

She shrugged. "He doesn't know about me. I'm here for my friends."

Why was she even talking to him? Right, for Bonnie. And maybe to learn a little more about Klaus.

"Well, while you're at it you could _thank_ me for doing you the favor of making my witches help you get out that unfortunate imprisonment situation you shared with my brother."

She snorted, letting out a dry laugh. "Please, you did that to get yourself a deal not to be stored in a coffin again. I know how you family of crazy sociopaths play."

His smirk grew.

"How was that, actually?" she asked, squinting her eyes at him. "So he put you in a coffin for half of your life? How did that feel?"

The smile fell off his face, revealing a stony, murderous expression that she knew well. She was way past being intimidated by that. Suddenly, he gripped her arm, smirking again and started dragging her towards the house.

"You know, I think we're gonna have to take this conversation elsewhere," he chimed and she tried to rip her arm free.

"No way in hell. Let **go** of me! I _will_ scream!"

He leaned in, his pupils dilating. Shit, she hadn't taken any vervein.

"You will follow me without any form of protest."

Suddenly fear pulled her in again and in the back of her mind she could feel a now familiar horror building. No, **no**. She took a few deep breaths as she followed him, striding up the stairs and into an empty room that seemed to be his.

As soon as the door was closed she found herself pinned against it.

Anger rose up in her chest, mixing with the eerie sensation of dread. "You fucking-"

He stared her down, every hint of a smile gone.

"You will _listen_ to me now. Just because you seem to have my beloved brother wrapped around your little finger, doesn't mean you can talk to me like that."

He had his hand loosely placed around her throat.

"I could _kill_ you. Just like that."

She glowered at him. She knew her weapons and she was not gonna let herself get intimidated by this arrogant little prick, no matter how powerful he was.

She cocked her head to the side, raising her eyebrows.

"Is that so? Well, I'm pretty sure that'd get you back into that coffin in no time. Or worse."

He observed her with interest sparking in his eyes.

"Now let the fuck go of me or I will tell your brother about this. And trust me, he won't like it."

He gave her another one of those looks that betrayed nothing of his reaction to her words.

Then, suddenly, he took a step back, opening his arms in a suave gesture of feigned defeat, a wide grin plastering his face.

"Alright, you got me." She straightened her posture while he cocked his head to the side, gaze still fixed on her.

" _Feisty_! Not just a pretty blonde thing, then. I like it!"

He held his glass towards her, gesturing for her to clink glasses.

She raised her eyebrows at him, a sarcastic smile on her face.

"Nah, I don't think so. You just had your hand wrapped around my throat. Thank you, but the feeling is unrequited."

He just chuckled and drank a bit as she leaned again the wall in a relaxed manner, drinking a bit herself.

Then she fixed her gaze on him again.

"Leave Bonnie alone."

He grinned, looking at her in a questioning manner. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me," she said. "Leave Bonnie alone."

"Well," he responded, sitting down on the bed, "She can speak for herself. I am quite aware of that, actually." He grinned to himself as if reminiscing something. She did _not_ like that.

"Yes, she can. Jesus, why is it so hard for you lot to respect a person's personal space? If she doesn't want to talk to you, leave her alone! _Stay away from her_."

His expression sobered up again.

"You see, just because I decided that, for now, I don't want to kill you, that doesn't stop me from changing my mind at any given time. This is none of your concern."

She shook her head, taking a step forward.

"You see, just because I decided not to tell your brother about this," she pulled out her phone, clicking on Klaus' number and held the screen towards Kol, her finger hovering above the 'call'-button, "doesn't mean I can't change my mind at any given time."

He looked at her, a sour expression on his face.

"Now can we have a conversation that doesn't include you threatening to kill me or am I gonna have to press 'call'?"

"Fine," he hissed and she closed the calling field, keeping the phone in her hand. She should put Klaus on speed-dial for future situations like this.

"Bonnie's in a pretty bad place right now," she continued, her voice calmer now. "She needs to be alone for that. It's what she does. So in her interest, would you please stop bugging her?"

He squinted his eyes. "What is it that makes you think I care about that?"

She rolled her eyes and took a sip of her drink.

"Yeah, right, you're an egotistical, emotionless asshole, I get it. Grow up, please?"

His jaw clenched. "Careful, love."

He stood up again, taking another slug. "And, by the way, what is it that makes you so sure she needs to be _alone_ for this? Leaving a grieving friend to herself – doesn't sound that much like the considerate, worried friend you're painting yourself as."

Anger rose in her chest.

"You know _nothing_ about Bonnie. And nothing about me for that matter, so keep your wild guessing to yourself."

He smirked, but in his eyes she saw mirth.

She drank a little of the beer and then sauntered towards him, her hand placed on her hip.

"You know what: I propose a deal. I don't tell your brother about this and you stay away from Bonnie."

He laughed dryly, his lips curled up in a snarl and took a step towards her. "I'm pretty sure you overestimate the hold you have on him, sweetheart. He will turn against you at a whim of his mood."

She raised her eyebrows at him. "I think the accuracy of your guesses is overall failing."

He smirked, eyeing her again.

"You are either brave or stupid. Let's see how long you'll stay around. But don' blame me when he kills you one day. I'll be right there to tell you I told you so, but – ah, too bad – I don't think _you_ will be there to admit your failure."

She snorted. God, this presumptuous little asshole knew nothing. He was still underestimating her.

"About that deal you proposed: How about we pay Bonnie a visit and ask her herself?"

She frowned, then thought for a moment.

"Fine by me," she answered. "But if she tells you she wants you to leave her alone, you will."

He smirked, holding his drink towards her.

"Now how about we settle this deal."

They chinked their glasses. Jesus, what was it with Mikaelsons, alcohol and deals.

When she'd finished her drink she turned around and left the room. He followed behind her.

Maybe she should say goodbye to Stefan and Elena – no, they'd only ask her what she was doing with Kol.

She skimmed through the party and headed out of the building, glad she didn't spot them. Then she walked up to her car. He halted beside her, raising his eyebrows. Then he touched it, stroking over the hood.

She walked to the driver's side, raising her eyebrows at him.

"The wonders of modern technology," he mused and she could see delight in his eyes.

They sat down in the car.

"You've never driven in a car before?"

He chuckled and shook his head, running his hand over the dash board.

"Oh, I have, love. I even got myself a driver's license back in Denver. But it never ceases to amaze me what wonders this world has produced in my absence."

She gave him another pointed look. She'd almost feel sorry for him, but then – nah.

He smirked at her. "Well, killing has gotten a lot more complicated, so I suppose it's a draw."

She scoffed as they turned into the corner leading to Bonnie's street. Of course. Jerk.

When they parked and got out of the car, she quickly headed to the door.

She'd have to explain this to Bonnie.

But it was for her best.

She rung the door bell as she felt him sauntering behind her. She could basically _feel_ the smirk plastered on in face. They were really brothers.

Bonnie opened the door, a frown on her face. Her eyes wandered from Caroline to Kol and then back to Caroline.

"What's going on?" she asked her.

Caroline licked her lips. "Tell him you want him to leave you alone."

An expression of angered disbelief appeared on Bonnie's face. "What?"

"Please, just say it. We made a deal. He'll leave you alone completely if you just tell him to."

Bonnie scoffed and then shook her head. Her eyes shifted to Kol and then back to Caroline, with a sober and angry expression.

"Making a lot of deals lately, aren't you?"

Caroline let out a sigh. "Come on, Bon, I'm sorry. I only want to help you."

Bonnie closed her eyes for a moment.

"If I need your help I will ask for it."

Then she turned around and walked inside, leaving the door open.

Caroline turned to Kol who was giving her a highly satisfied and smug grin, raising his eyebrows in feigned innocence. She scoffed, rolling her eyes and followed her friend.

Much to her surprise, he did, too.

She turned back to look at him in the hallway, her jaw falling open. Then she scoffed again, in pure puzzlement. _What the fuck even?_

"You invited him _into your house_?" she shrieked in disbelief and he just chuckled in return, obviously very pleased by her baffled expression.

"It's not like anyone but me lives here, anyway," Bonnie said from the kitchen, her voice tired and frankly, pissed.

Caroline scoffed again, shaking her head and followed her into the kitchen. Bonnie was sitting at the kitchen table, a mug of tea in her hands.

"What is this?" Caroline demanded, exasperated as she walked up to her friend. Kol was leaning in the doorframe.

Bonnie glowered at her. "I don't need to explain myself to you."

Hurt crossed Caroline's face and Bonnie immediately closed her eyes. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean that."

Caroline sighed and nodded, looking down at her friend.

Bonnie looked back at Kol. "Could you leave us alone, please."

Much to Caroline's surprise, Kol wasn't grinning anymore. He was looking at Bonnie with a serious expression. "Of course."

Then he turned and left. A moment later she heard the front door close.

Caroline turned towards Bonnie again and pushed down the need to scoff, sitting down beside her.

Bonnie drank some of her tea as they sat in silence for a moment.

"How are you," Caroline finally asked, carefully eyeing her friend.

Bonnie looked up at her. "Well, obviously not fine. But I manage. And you?"

'Fine', Caroline wanted to answer but she knew it was not true, so she paused and then frowned.

"I've been better."

Bonnie looked at her, a worried expression on her face.

"What's going on with you and Klaus?" she asked, her tone calmer now.

Caroline sighed. "Nothing… It's complicated."

"I already told you what I think about this."

Caroline let out a dry laugh. "And I _agree_ with you! He fucking keeps the love letters of his victims, _framed up_ on his _bedroom wall_."

Bonnie's eyes widened, then she leaned forward, frowning.

"Caroline, how do you know what's on his _bedroom wall_?"

Fuck. Caroline, licked her lips, looking away. "I told you… It's complicated."

Bonnie scoffed, shaking her head. "I can't believe this. What about Tyler?"

Caroline almost winced, keeping her eyes on the table.

" _We broke up_ ," she whispered.

Bonnie stilled in shock. She opened her mouth to say something, then closed it again.

Then she moved towards Caroline and hugged her.

Caroline felt instant relief spreading in her chest. Disappointing Bonnie had always been one of her greatest fears. She was happy not to have lost her yet.

"Oh Care, what happened?"

She shook her head as Bonnie sat back. "I don't want to talk about it."

She was feeling dizzy.

She looked at Bonnie again. "What about Kol. You can tell me."

Bonnie sighed. "Let's just say we have a mutual interest."

Caroline frowned. "And that is?"

Bonnie looked her in the eyes, a serious but sorry expression on her face. "I can't tell you."

Caroline stilled and then looked away.

Right, okay. This didn't mean she didn't trust her. It only meant that at the moment, she couldn't.

Her head hurt.

"You should really get out of here again, Bon, I don't like seeing you like this."

Bonnie smiled weakly.

"I was invited to come visit one of my gramps' professor friends on campus. I thought I might go with Damon and Elena."

Caroline smiled. "That sounds like a wonderful idea."

_And it would get her away from Kol_.

Bonnie smiled back at her and they shared a moment in this time of general hurt and confusion.

Then, suddenly, she felt a burning sensation in her skin, _underneath her skin_.

She looked down at her eyes in horror as she saw her veins pulsing.

_No_.

She realized what it was immediately. _Werewolf venom_.

She raised her gaze to Bonnie, dread in her eyes and saw it mirrored in hers.

"What-", Bonnie began as Caroline felt a wave of dizziness overcoming her, clutching onto the table.

"Werewolf venom. But how-"

Bonnie's eyes widened. "Did he bite you? Did Klaus-"

Caroline snapped her head towards her, anger on her face. " **No**! He'd never do that!"

Bonnie looked at her in shock and disbelief and she stilled for a moment herself.

Well, fuck.

Then she frowned. "Kol…"

Bonnie shook her head.

Then, her phone rang. Quickly, she grabbed it. _Stefan_.

"Caroline, where are you?" she heard him say, on the other end of the line, his voice desperate.

"At Bonnie's. Why?"

"We're at the lake house. Elena's got werewolf venom in her system."

Caroline's frown deepened. "I do, too." Then she looked at Bonnie, a realization coming to mind.

"It must have been in the beer."

"The hunter," Stefan answered, his voice breathy.

Bonnie stared at her, desperate to know what was happening.

' _Hunter_ ', Caroline voiced and Bonnie's expression darkened.

"Don't worry, Stefan. I know what we will do. You get her home and I will ask Klaus. I promise you, I will get him to safe Elena."

Stefan sighed in relief. "Right."

"Bye," Caroline said and then she hung up, looking back at Bonnie.

Bonnie nodded and Caroline got up and flashed outside, not bothering to take the car.

She ran to his house. When she arrived at his door she rung his door bell, once, twice but he didn't answer.

Pain shot through her and she rung it again. Silence.

She leaned on the door, her breathing heavy, and pulled out her phone. Speed dial really sounded like a good idea right now.

He picked up after the first ring.

"Caroline," he said, his voice smug.

"Where are you?" she asked, her voice breathy.

"Why?" he asked, his tone now serious.

"I'm at your house. You need to come here now."

She heard him shuffling, immediately. "What's going on, Caroline?" he asked, his voice now clearly worried.

"I will tell you when you get here. Just come here now, it's urgent."

Then she hung up and let out a sharp breath, closing her eyes from a moment.

Great, just what she needed.


	15. Chapter 15

Exhausted she leant against the door, feeling the poison run through her veins. It took only a minute and he was right there with her, a worried expression on his face.

"What's wrong, Caroline?" he repeated his question, taking in her appearance and her ragged breathing.

"Open the door," she pressed out, leaning away from it.

His eyes lingered on hers for a second longer, worry still very evident in them. Then he pulled out a key and did as she told him.

Swiftly she strode in, past him.

"You're lucky, you get to steal another moment of intimacy." He followed, closing the door behind him.

"As far as I can recall that was all your idea," he answered, his voice icy.

Anger rose in her chest.

"I am not talking about that. The hunter put hybrid poison into the beer at Rebekah's party." She turned around and stopped.

"And if you waste one second on thinking about getting another date out of this I'm gonna punch you." She really tried to control her breathing, the pain increasing ever so slowly.

His gaze hardened. "So after all this time you still think that low of me. I wouldn't dream of it. Not when you are in danger."

He is in love with you.

She looked away and gulped, composing herself.

He walked towards her, swiftly unbuttoning the top buttons of his shirt. She tried not to stare.

"No, not there. I'll take your wrist. And for the record: I am angry at you. For being a fucking creepy serial killer that keeps the love letters of dead women as trophies. And for not telling me about the full extent of what blood sharing means." She glowered at him.

He raised his eyebrows. "I beg you to specify."

"I talked to Stefan."

He stared at her, surprise crossing his features. "You told him?"

She shook her head dismissively. "God, no! Damon did it with Elena. I asked him about it. Turns out there's a lot more to it than just feeding. Thank you for that one," she spat, momentarily distracted from the pain and the dizziness.

His gaze hardened again. "I did tell you. But as much as I am curious about what Stefan told you I think we should postpone this discussion to after I saved your life." He took a step towards her, pulling up the sleeve of his shirt.

"Wait!" she stopped him, holding up her hands to emphasize her words.

He looked at her questioningly.

"Elena drank some of the beer, too. You need to heal her."

He raised his eyebrows, indifference in his eyes. "Now, why would I do that, love?"

"Klaus! She's dying! This is not the time for one of your little tantrums."

He clenched his teeth but composed himself. She could feel the dizziness increase. She wanted to sit down, but no, she needed to do this right.

"See, I simply don't care. Perhaps, if you'd grant me a little more of your time-"

She glowered at him. "So you are gonna try and get your own benefit out of this."

He was angry now. "Not out of your part of the situation. I have no interest whatsoever of saving the doppleganger's life – she's of no use to me. I don't give my blood out for free."

She almost laughed, but the movement pained her. She flinched. "Do you, now?"

Worry returned to his face. "Let's talk about this when we're done. I won't have you spend another minute in pain." He took another step towards her.

She shook her head again, ignoring the pain. She was going to stand her ground.

"I won't let you heal me if you don't promise to save Elena."

He clenched his teeth again and then took a stabilizing breath.

"Aside from the fact that I could make you – I named my condition."

She stared him down. "You know that's not how it works, do you? Forcing someone to spend time with you will not make them like you. It actually has the opposite effect – you should have learned that from Stefan." Her legs were shaky and she watched in horror as another wave of hybrid poison visibly cursed through the veins on her arms.

He saw it, too and then fixed his eyes on hers, obviously unsettled by the situation.

"Consider me a slow learner, then."

She sighed. "Alright. But you will save Elena."

He sighed in relief, stepping forward and holding out his arm, offering it to her.

"Now let's skip the theatrics and come here."

She did so, gladly. Staying as far away from him as possible, she grabbed his arm and changed into her vampire face, trying to ignore the sparks she felt at the contact and the slight look of awe that mixed with the worry on his face. She brought it up to her face and bit down on his wrist, maybe not as fiercely as she should have.

She let out a sigh of relief at the taste of his blood on her tongue, both because she knew it would ease the pain and because she enjoyed the sensation of tasting it again.

She was still shaky on her legs.

He let out a breathy sigh, too and stepped in behind her. His free arm reached around her waist and pulled her flush against him, allowing her to lean back into his chest. She felt a tingling sensation at the contact, mixing with the ecstasy of the blood. So much for staying away. So much for not blood sharing again.

To her shame a part of her was glad that she got to do it again.

"There you go," he whispered breathily and she closed her eyes, for a moment leaving all her convictions behind to enjoy the moment.

She already felt the effect, the pain decreasing, her legs getting steadier again.

He hadn't hesitated to save her, hadn't tried to get his own benefit from it as she would have expected. If she needed anymore prove as to how he felt about her she had it now.

Despite herself she felt that feeling again, and it was quickly followed by a pang of guilt.

This should be enough.

She drew back, licked the excess blood off her lips, let go of him and swiftly stepped out of his embrace.

She looked up at him, a sincere look in her eyes.

"Thank you," she said. "Looks like you finally managed to do a decent thing. Only one though."

He smiled at her, earnest happiness in his eyes. It reminded her of the time he had saved her from Alaric. She supposed people didn't thank him a lot. Then again he didn't give them much reason to, anyway.

"And once again you won and got yourself another date."

He sighed, rolling his eyes, then grinned smugly and raised his already healed arm to his mouth, licking off the excess blood while staring holes into her.

She gulped at the sight. Seriously?

"I thought you hated drinking your own blood."

He grinned, lowering his arm again. "A little doesn't hurt."

Yeah, and the indirect kissing thing was not in the least bit intentional.

She snorted.

"And just to be clear, your end of the deal is not necessarily a date. It's some of your time. You failed to specify how much."

Her jaw dropped. "Seriously?"

He chuckled. "Seriously."

She shook her head in anger. "God, I hate your guts."

"Now love," he smiled and walked over to a dresser, "Let's not say things we don't mean."

She clenched her teeth. He opened a drawer and took something out.

Then he turned towards her, a more serious expression on his face again.

"Damon and I took care of the hunter, you needn't worry about that anymore. Nonetheless –" he offered her a small vial, filled with blood, "I'm not having you running around unprotected anymore. This is my blood. Consider this a gift."

She frowned. She would have expected him to look forward to the idea of blood sharing with her in the future – instead he offered her his blood. Something that she could easily use on any of her other friends if needed.

How could he be such a total asshole and then so considerate and caring in the next?

Frustration wailed up inside her. Wait- Damon?

"You met Damon?"

He raised his eyebrows, gesturing towards her to take the vial. She did.

"As much as I enjoy the prospect of ripping his heart out his chest – yes, we still have a date. No need to worry." A suggestive smile spread on his face and now she really wanted to punch him.

She scoffed, shaking her head. "You know what – I really can't deal with you right now. I need to get home and rest. You need to go heal Elena. Now."

He shrugged, taking a step towards her. "Very well."

Then he leaned in and she glowered at him as she could feel his breath on her face.

"I'll see you soon." He gave her a somewhat honest smile.

She considered giving him another speech but that would probably only be what he wanted. Elena needed his blood, now.

So she turned around, opened the door and left without looking back.

When she woke up in the morning she felt tired, even though she again woke before her alarm rang. She peeled herself out of bed and into the shower, refusing to think before she'd transformed herself back into the perfectly styled vampire Barbie.

When she drank her coffee, a mug filled with blood warming up in the microwave, she stopped to decide what to do with her day.

She needed to talk to Tyler again, she couldn't take leaving things at that.

She let the full weight of the guilt crash down on her once again.

She'd cheated on him, and this time she had no excuse. She was falling for Klaus, so hard that'd she'd been forced to step out of her denial and accept it as reality.

She couldn't possibly begin to explain this to Tyler.

But she needed to try and stop him from breaking the sire bonds of these hybrids. It was a suicide mission.

So she got up, decided to skip school, it was Friday anyway, and flashed to Bonnie's, got in her car and headed for the Forwood mansion.

When she arrived she heard that several people were in the house, probably hybrids.

She rung the door bell, sighing heavily.

Tyler answered, his face falling and then turning hard as he saw her.

"Caroline," he said.

She was barely able to look him in the eyes.

"We need to talk," she said, forcing herself to look at him and he turned away and stalked inside, leaving the door open. Something that seemed to be a common thing to happen to her recently.

She followed him to the living room, where Hayley was seated. Great. Just what she needed now.

Tyler turned to look at her, waiting for her to elaborate. She could see him hurting and it hurt her in return. She forced herself to focus.

"We can't let it end like this…" she said, looking at him desperately.

"I think it's a little too late for that," he said, his voice hard. "I think you made your decision. It's always been him, has it?" he asked, anger in his tone.

"What?" she asked.

"I knew it from the day I came back here and you had that stupid drawing on your night desk. When I asked you about it you told me nothing happened. You flat out lied to my face. And you fucking didn't throw it away when he gave it to you, you kept it. And you couldn't even tell me why. And when I heard what he said to you at the decade dance I knew exactly why. I'm not stupid, Care."

She shook her head. "No, that's not true. That was all him, I didn't have any part in that-"

"Then explain to me why you didn't deny what he said. Explain to me why you didn't laugh at the whole 'Maybe in a fucking century'-bullshit."

She gasped, trying to form the words in her head. It was hopeless.

"I thought so," he said, shook his head and turned away. She could see the pain in his eyes.

"Get out," he said.

Her heart broke once again.

She shook her head.

"Tyler, we can still fix this! We've been through so much-"

He snapped his head at her. "Yes, we have. And you ruined it. And you know what, it's too late. I returned the favor."

She stilled, frowning. What did he mean? Then, suddenly, realization dawned on her and she turned her head towards Hayley, who had her gaze fixed on the glass in her hands.

She looked back at Tyler, barely able to hold back the tears.

He gave her a pointed look and for a moment she couldn't move, couldn't say anything.

"So, tell me. How do we get past this now?" he asked.

She kept staring at him, then looked away.

It was useless. Especially when she reminded herself what had happened with Klaus. They were standing in the ruins of what they used to be and there was nothing left to save.

"You have to stop unsiring the hybrids, " she whispered, then looked back at him, regaining her composure. "It's suicide."

He shook his head in anger. "We already talked about this, Care."

She looked away again, finding herself immobile.

"That's it then," she whispered, unable to look at him.

"Yes," he answered and when she looked back at him she saw the tears in his eyes.

She turned and flashed out of the building then, back to her car and started driving, forcing herself not to cry. She held her breath for the whole ride and when she arrived home she made her way in as quickly as she could using human speed.

When she was inside she backed up to the door and immediately started sobbing, sliding down until she was seated on the floor, resting on her arms she'd placed on the ground for support.

It hurt, it hurt.

It hurt so damn fucking much.

She'd never wanted to end things with Tyler like that, not ever. It was truly over. There was nothing left to do, nothing left to fix.

She'd been crying for half an hour now, finding herself unable to stop this time. Regaining her control was really an ordeal now and she couldn't find neither the strength nor the will to do it.

She was still sitting by the door as she heard steps approach.

Immediately she stopped sobbing, wiping the tears from her face frantically. When the doorbell rang she didn't dare move.

She closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep silent breath. Then she plastered a smile on her face and rose to her feet to open the door.

Stefan.

When he saw her, a frown appeared on his face immediately.

"What's going on, Care?"

She smiled wider, shaking her head. "Nothing," she said. "Nothing. Hi."

He licked his lips, still frowning, then stepped inside and closed the door behind him.

"Caroline, I thought we were already past this. You can talk about it to me."

She sighed and looked away for a moment and then headed for the living room, sitting down on the couch. She curled up on it, while he sat down beside her.

He had his gaze fixed on hers, inquiring.

"Klaus didn't do anything, did he?"

She shook her head immediately. "No! No… that's not it, it's just…"

She looked down at her hands.

"Tyler and I are really over now."

She didn't look up at him, but she felt his hand on her shoulder.

"What happened," he finally asked.

"Klaus happened," she scoffed. "And apparently Hayley happened, too."

Stefan sighed.

"I came here to talk to you about Klaus. Whatever is happening between the two of you, it worries me. You can tell me about it, Care. I won't judge."

She kept staring down at her hands.

"If I know you like I think I do you haven't really talked to anyone about it. That's not good, Care. You need to talk about such things. And if you can't with Bonnie or Elena, you can talk to me."

She sighed and nodded. Maybe this wasn't such a bad idea. She was used to dealing with things on her own, but if she was honest she wished she could talk about it. Before, she'd always told Elena and Bonnie everything and then it had been Tyler, she'd always talked to.

She felt the tears rising up again, but forced them down.

"Okay. What do you wanna know?"

He stood up and brought a bottle of tequila and two glasses.

She laughed sarcastically. "It seems I'm advancing towards being a full on alcoholic."

He frowned but then chuckled and shrugged, as he filled their glasses and sat down beside her.

"Everything, I want to know everything."

She raised her glass and downed the content in one slug. "I am gonna need this," she remarked dryly, and he drank a bit of his drink, too.

"Well, you know the beginning. We were locked in the tomb. And then we talked. God, all we do is talk."

He raised his eyebrows and watched her as she filled her glass again.

"And drink, we drink, too. Phenomenal idea, I tell you."

"You got drunk with Klaus," he asked, slightly sarcastic in his tone.

She chuckled. "Yes, three times actually." She downed another glass, still giggling, but the expression on her face was bitter.

"Whoa," Stefan said, picking up the bottle and placing it behind him. "Hold your horses, there. Don't you think you're going a little quick here?"

She shook her head, raising her eyebrows at him. "I've got a tolerance. I'm a vampire. And also – I just really want to get drunk."

He sighed in defeat and put the bottle back on the table, then downed his own drink.

"Well, I think I'll have to catch up with you, then."

She giggled again and leaned into the sofa.

"We got drunk and we talked and I hated him but then things changed somewhere along the way. We even played truth or dare – well, truth or drink."

Stefan gasped in surprise and then chuckled, shaking his head in disbelief and downed another drink.

"And then, when I was really a goner, totally, absolutely wasted I… I kissed him."

Stefan stilled, looking at her with a more serious expression on his face.

"And he didn't even take advantage of me, not one bit. I fell asleep and he slept by my side, for the whole night."

She downed another drink, eyes fixed on empty space before her.

"I tried to get away, then, I wanted to stay away from him to make it just go away, but I couldn't because I made the damn deal to save all your asses. And then we…"

She sighed heavily. She could feel the alcohol working its magic. "We bloodshared, okay? And we fucking made out. And then he had the fucking love letters of his victims on his fucking bedroom wall." She laughed, sarcastically while downing another drink.

Stefan looked away for a moment, guilt crossing his face.

"And now I have another date for freaking Damon's life, and one for Elena's and I can't even sit there and ignore him for the time – I have to make him like me. At least enough so he will spare Tyler as soon as he finds out about the fact that he is unsiring hybrids and the worst thing is, the worst thing…"

She looked downwards, unable to utter the words. They sat in silence for several moments as she struggled to form the words. Stefan just had his gaze fixed on the table, sipping on his drinks.

"I don't even know how to say this. It's so embarrassing and stupid and perverse and wrong. It's so wrong." Tears started spilling from her eyes, and quickly, she wiped them away and downed another drink, feeling increasingly dizzy, her inhibitions lowering.

"I'm falling in love with him, okay? There, I said it. You don't even have to say anything, I know. I know him and what he did and what he fucking still does. And I know about Tyler, Elena, you, I know everything. But it's still happening, okay, and I don't even know what to do about it."

She shook her head, tears slipping down again.

"I hate myself," she whispered, lowly.

She didn't mean it, not really, but it was the first thing that came to mind, like a parasite that had entered her brain, it fed its way through her chest, making her disgusted with herself.

"Hey," he said, turning her towards him, locking his gaze with hers. "Don't ever say that. Don't ever think that."

She nodded, sobbing once, and immediately wiped away the tears. "I know," she answered.

He took a deep breath, looking away for a moment and then back at her.

"This is not your fault. Not at all. I'm glad you told me, that's a lot of weight to carry alone."

She nodded, sniffing and then turned to pour herself another drink. She spilled a little. She was really in the drunk-zone, now.

"How could I fall for Klaus, like, seriously? What's wrong with me, he's just-"

She scoffed, downing the drink, wiping the tears away with her other hand. He leant back, downing a drink himself.

"I know how he can be," he confessed. "What I don't understand is this, Care. Is he different around you? Because every single time I got close to actually liking him he managed to do something to sabotage all of that in an instance. He's nice but the next thing you know he suddenly threatens to pull your guts out."

She licked her lips, staring down. "He is different around me. You know, I gave him a whole speech about that. Actually, I am always giving him speeches. It's like a push and pull, somehow I can't stop myself from reaction to him, it's like my tongue has a will of its own and just spills out whatever comes to mind. And… I think it's like that for him, too. He's trying, really. He still is an ass, make no mistakes about that, but he can also be so… so different."

Instantly, she remembered how he had comforted her when she had had her panic attack, back in the cave, how he had kissed her, gentle and affectionate. The way he had looked at her.

She felt butterflies in her chest and she flinched, burying her head in her hand.

Stefan frowned. "I wouldn't have believed him capable of that."

"He is in love with me," she said, her voice small.

Silence filled the room as Stefan drank another glass.

"I am scared, Stefan," she finally said.

He turned his head to look at her.

"I am afraid of him and what he will do when he finds about Tyler, that I played him. I am afraid for Tyler's life, for Damon's life, but most of all I am scared of my own emotions. I'm gonna have to break my own heart in this, Stefan. I have to play him until he spares Tyler and then I will have to leave town to get away from him."

Stefan frowned. "Why?"

She scoffed. "Why? Seriously? Because that's my only option. The only way to go."

Stefan sighed and leaned back into the couch, thinking for a moment.

"Is it, really, though?"

She frowned, leaning forward, her face turned to him. She felt dizzy at the movement. She enjoyed the feeling, reveling in the weightlessness for once.

"What are you saying?"

He couldn't possibly mean…

"I'm not saying I am for that option but you could give it a try."

She stared at him in shock and then laughed ironically.

"Yes," she said, her tone sarcastic. "What a perfectly legit idea. I go off and try to have a relationship with an abusive serial killer."

He frowned at her. "Abusive?"

"Not to me," she corrected. "But basically to everyone else. Even, hell, especially to his siblings."

"Look, I'm not saying you should do this. But you should give yourself the option. Don't be so hard on yourself. Hell, we've all done things we're not proud of. Compared to most of us you got a clean slate. And you're not doing anything bad here, Care."

She nodded, looking back at him, smiling a little.

"Right, right, I know. It's not like I've dealt with worse already."

He smiled at her, widely. "That's my girl. Now, how about you give yourself a break. Spend a day alone with yourself, away from Klaus, away from me, away from anything not you-related. What about your committees. Or, how about you do some studying. Anything that feeds your inner control freak, really."

She giggled, now, for some reason feeling relief spread in her chest.

"Yessss!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms up in the air. "There is a book I have to read through, and a lot to organize and movies to watch, and-"

He laughed. "How about we watch one now?"

She looked at him and felt a strong wave of affection towards him. He really was the kind of friend she needed right now. What had she done to deserve it. She smiled.

"So," she began, getting up from the sofa, staggering a little. "Have you ever watched the Notebook?"

He rolled his eyes in feigned desperation and then grinned.

A wide smile spread on her face and she went off to fetch the dvd.


End file.
